IN  MEMORY  OF 
WILLIAM  C.  HABBERLEY 


DR.  LATIMER 

&  Jbtorp  of  €a£co  25ap 

BY 

CLAEA  LOUISE  BURNHAM 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1393, 
Bv  CLARA  LOUISE  BURNHA22. 

All  rights  reserved. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK  *AOB 

I.   Miss  NORMAN'S  NEIGHBORS 1 

II.  A  FIRST  "AT  HOME"        .....        12 

III.  Miss  NORMAN'S  OPPORTUNITY        .        .        .        .24 

IV.  A  BONE  OF  CONTENTION 37 

V.   JOSEPHINE'S  TRIUMPH 47 

VI.   A  THEATRE  PARTY 65 

VII.   MR.  BRUCH'S  DINNER 76 

VIII.   THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS         ....        92 

IX.   AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL Ill 

X.   DR.  LATIMER  ENTERTAINS          ....      134 

XI.   Au  REVOIR 151 

XII.  IN  A  FOG 165 

XIII.  Miss  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION 179 

XIV.  GINGER  ALE  AND  PEPPERMINTS        .        .        •      194 
XV.   AGNES  NORMAN'S  DISCOVERY         .        .        .        .207 

XVI.  MOUNT  PISGAH 225 

XVII.   ROSE  LANE 239 

XVIII.  THE  WOOD  ROAD 25? 

XIX.  PEBBLY  BEACH 271 

XX.   AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK 2$6 

XXI.   THE  CABLE  MESSAGE 302 

XXII.   THE  THUNDERING  HOLE 31? 

XXIII.  GOOD-NIGHT 326 

XXIV.  "  A  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET  " 347 

XXV.  THE  IVISON  CONQUEST 363 


M617427 


DR.  LATIMER. 


CHAPTER   I. 

MISS  NORMAN'S  NEIGHBORS. 

THERE  was  excitement  in  the  house  of  Norman, 
one  spring.  Most  women,  when  they  have  an 
absorbing  interest,  have  also  a  sister-woman  with 
whom  to  discuss  it  in  all  its  aspects ;  but  Miss 
Charlotte  Norman  was  denied  this  piquant  social 
sauce.  Her  younger  sister  and  nephew,  with 
whom  —  and  it  might  be  added  for  whom  —  she 
lived,  were  both  unavailable  and  unsatisfactory  as 
receptacles  for  her  confidences.  Miss  Agnes  Nor 
man  was  too  preoccupied  during  the  few  waking 
hours  she  spent  at  home  to  return  more  than  an 
abstracted  "  Indeed  ?"  to  Charlotte's  information, 
and  Dickie,  being  but  six  years  of  age,  could  not 
be  expected  to  enter  into  and  comprehend  his 
aunt's  outraged  sensibilities. 

The  disturbing  fact  was  that  certain  parties  had 
had  the  audacity  to  put  up  a  very  unattractive 
two-story  flat-building  directly  across  the  street 
from  the  old  Norman  homestead.  Miss  Charlotte, 
in  her  resentment,  had  moved  her  work-basket 


2  DE.  LATIMEE. 

away  from  its  usual  window  in  order  that  she 
might  be  spared  the  offense  of  seeing  its  bricks 
laid,  one  by  one.  Now  it  was  finished,  and  one  of 
its  stories  was  occupied.  It  was  hard  indeed  that 
Miss  Charlotte,  from  her  sister's  departure  after 
breakfast  until  the  evening  dinner  hour,  had  no 
one  to  join  her  in  watching,  censuring,  and  con 
jecturing  about  her  new  neighbors. 

She  performed  the  task,  however,  with  solitary 
energy.  These  people  had  but  just  moved  in,  and 
Miss  Norman's  curiosity  impelled  her  to  hover 
often  about  her  windows,  and  to  take  note,  though 
with  unvarying  disapproval,  of  their  movements 
and  belongings. 

One  morning,  an  hour  after  Agnes  had  left  the 
house  for  her  music-room  in  the  city,  Miss  Char 
lotte  observed  a  young  woman  emerge  from  the 
opposite  door  upon  which  she  kept  such  a  watchful 
eye. 

The  Norman  house  stood  upon  a  corner,  and 
seeing  the  stranger  cross  the  street,  Miss  Charlotte 
rushed  with  undignified  haste  to  a  side  window, 
from  which  she  knew  she  would  be  able  to  get  a 
near  view  of  her. 

The  girl  looked  up  at  the  house,  as  she  passed, 
with  some  interest ;  and  Miss  Norman,  through  the 
half -turned  slats  of  the  blinds,  took  note  of  her 
erect  and  graceful  carriage,  her  plain,  trim  cloth 
ing,  and  a  face  framed  in  dark  hair,  whose  expres 
sion,  lacking  humility,  did  not  conciliate  the 
watcher.  So  might  a  princess  look  and  move  were 


MISS  NORMAN'S  NEIGHBORS.  3 

she  roaming  in  humble  disguise  in  a  strange  neigh 
borhood.  Miss  Charlotte  gazed  after  her  with  one 
more  grudge  against  the  opposite  house. 

Not  more  than  another  hour  passed  before  she 
was  again  agitated  by  the  fact  that  a  furniture 
wagon  stopped  before  the  flat.  Miss  Norman  was 
at  her  post  in  front  of  the  house  in  an  instant, 
gazing  with  all  her  eyes  at  the  brick  building,  be 
hind  whose  upper  windows  forms  could  be  seen 
occasionally,  flitting  to  and  fro. 

"  For  pity's  sake,  are  those  little  things  chairs  ? 
What  do  they  want  chairs  of  that  size  for  ?  "  she 
murmured,  putting  her  head  forward  and  looking 
with  still  closer  scrutiny  through  her  eyeglasses. 

At  this  moment  she  was  gratified  to  hear  the 
postman's  whistle.  Miss  Norman  had  scant  inter 
est  in  the  mail  that  day,  but  an  excuse  to  go  to  the 
gate  was  not  unwelcome ;  and,  without  waiting  to 
wrap  herself  from  the  keen  March  air,  she  hurried 
down  the  garden  path,  and  after  exchanging  a 
word  with  the  postman  and  receiving  a  paper  from 
his  hand,  lingered  to  watch  from  this  better  post 
of  observation  her  unknown  neighbors.  While 
she  gazed,  a  young  girl  of  about  eighteen  ran  down 
the  flight  of  stairs  visible  through  the  open  door, 
and  stood  on  the  sidewalk  while  the  furniture  was 
lifted  from  the  wagon.  She  wore  a  large  apron 
over  her  blue  dress,  and  her  light  hair  was  awry. 
She  touched  a  chair  with  her  hand,  and  then  exam 
ined  her  fingers. 

"  Helen,"  she  called  clearly  up  the  stairs,  "  these 


4  DR.   LATIMER. 

chairs  are  awfully  dusty.  Don't  let  them  go  into 
that  clean  room  until  we  have  wiped  them." 

This  exhortation  did  little  to  alleviate  Miss 
Norman's  curiosity ;  but  she  listened  attentively, 
meanwhile  scrutinizing  the  girl,  who  was  too  busy 
counting  the  chairs  to  observe  that  she  was  being 
watched. 

"  Well,  she  looks  pert  enough,"  thought  Miss 
Norman,  actually  going  to  the  length  of  holding 
her  eyeglasses  a  few  inches  away  from  her  face, 
the  better  to  distinguish  the  somewhat  disheveled 
but  business-like  and  unconscious  maiden,  who, 
following  the  expressman  upstairs  with  his  last 
load,  disappeared  from  her  view. 

Miss  Norman,  restoring  her  glasses  to  their 
usual  position,  became  conscious  of  the  approach 
on  the  sidewalk  of  a  form  she  recognized.  She 
drummed  gently  with  her  paper  on  the  gate,  and 
the  wind  blew  her  locks,  whose  blonde  color  dis 
guised  the  fact  that  they  were  fast  turning  from 
drab  to  gray. 

"  Good-morning,  Persis,"  she  said  to  the  woman, 
who  drew  nearer  with  energetic  step,  one  arm 
swinging,  while  on  the  other  hung  a  basket. 

"  Good-mornin',  Miss  Charlotte.  Ain't  you  cold, 
hangin'  over  the  gate  ?  I  guess  you  've  got  an  idea 
it 's  springtime,  have  n't  you?  "  remarked  the  new 
comer,  smiling,  as  she  paused.  "  I  noticed  this 
mornin'  the  lilac  buds  was  a-swellin'  some." 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  just  came  down  to  get  the  mail," 
explained  the  other.  "  I  Ve  hardly  become  used 
to  having  the  letters  delivered  yet ;  have  you  ?  " 


MISS  NORMAN'S  NEIGHBORS.  5 

"No,  and  for  one  I  don't  like  these  citified 
changes.  It 's  bad  enough  to  belong  to  the  city 
by  name,  but  the  buildiii'  up  close  and  tight  and 
not  leavin'  us  any  breathiii'  room  is  what  hurts  me 
the  most." 

"Yes,"  returned  Miss  Norman  sympathetically. 
"  Just  look  at  that  flat-building  across  the  street. 
See  how  it  grows  right  up  out  of  the  sidewalk,  and 
remember  the  pleasant  garden  that  used  to  be 
there.  How  the  Dwights  could  sell  their  ground 
for  such  a  purpose  I  can't  imagine." 

Persis  shifted  her  basket  to  the  right  arm,  and 
followed  the  direction  of  the  other's  glance.  "  Folks 
have  begun  to  move  in,"  she  observed,  as  an  upper 
window  was  thrown  open  and  a  duster  vigorously 
shaken  forth. 

"  Yes,  the  second  floor  is  taken,  and  by  a  family 
which  I  can't  understand.  Sister  Agnes  says  she 
should  n't  think  I  would  try ;  but  I  really  cannot 
help  being  curious.  So  far  as  I  can  discover,  there 
are  three  girls  in  that  flat  and  nobody  else.  Now, 
what  do  you  make  of  it  ?  " 

"I  should  say  they  was  probably  settlin'  and 
gettin'  ready  for  their  ma,  who  '11  come  later.  Like 
as  not  their  ma  enjoys  poor  health  and  can't  stand 
confusion." 

Miss  Norman  looked  at  the  speaker  reflectively. 
"  Why,  Persis,  you  're  real  bright,"  she  said.  u  I 
never  should  have  thought  of  that.  I  'm  sure  I 
hope  it  is  so,  for  it  does  n't  seem  to  me  the  thing 
at  all  for  three  young  girls  to  be  by  themselves  in 


6  DE.  LATIMEE. 

that  way.  It  would  look  badly,  I  think,  for  them 
to  take  a  house  and  live  alone.  I  shall  feel  differ 
ently  toward  them  for  what  you  have  said." 

Miss  Applebee  felt  flattered.  "Them  long 
stairs  won't  be  over  and  above  comfortable  for  an 
invalid,"  she  observed,  keeping  her  eyes  on  the 
upper  windows,  grown  expressionless  now  that  all 
sign  of  life  was  withdrawn.  "  Well,"  she  contin 
ued,  complacently,  "  I  'm  glad  the  doctor  's  got  a 
bit  o'  ground  around  his  house,  and  ain't  likely  to 
dispose  of  it.  We  Ve  got  a  few  trees  and  a  grape 
arbor  we  can  call  our  own,  and  I  hope  the  doctor  '11 
keep  'em  so 's  we  can  breathe  somethin'  beside 
smoke  and  grime." 

"You  have  the  doctor's  dinner  there,  I  sup 
pose,"  observed  Miss  Norman,  eying  the  basket. 

"  Yes,  and  I  only  wish  I  was  half  as  sure  that 
Dr.  Latimer  would  eat  it  as  I  am  that  it 's  a  good 
dinner.  I  declare  I  do  get  discouraged  with  him. 
I  contend  that  a  glass  o'  milk  and  a  book  ain't  a 
fillin'  meal  for  anybody  that 's  six  foot  tall,  I  don't 
care  how  good  the  book  is." 

"  The  doctor's  solitary  habits  grow  on  him,  no 
doubt,"  returned  Miss  Norman. 

"  Yes,  and  he  's  a-lookin'  thin.  Don't  you  think 
so?" 

"  I  suppose  he  is  thin  ;  but  one  does  n't  judge 
the  doctor  by  ordinary  standards.  Everybody  that 
knows  him  is  so  accustomed  to  leaning  on  him  that 
we  're  not  apt  to  remember  that  he  needs  any 


MISS  NORMAN'S  NEIGHBORS.  7 

"  That 's  it.  It  does  beat  all  how  that  man  is 
pestered  by  folks.  He  stopped  practicin'  medicine 
'cause  his  health  gave  out.  Huh !  "  exclaimed 
Miss  Applebee  with  scorn.  "  I  should  like  to 
know  if  he  might  n't  as  well  be  at  everybody's 
beck  and  call,  and  get  some  pay  for  it,  as  to  have 
things  the  way  they  are  now !  You  'd  be  sur 
prised,  Miss  Charlotte,  to  know  the  things  folks  '11 
ask  o'  Dr.  Latimer.  Sometimes  it 's  their  souls 
need  tinkerin',  and  then  you  'd  think  he  was  a 
minister ;  sometimes  it 's  their  bodies,  then  you  'd 
think  he  was  a  doctor ;  sometimes  it 's  their 
drains,  and  then  you  'd  s'pose  he  was  a  plumber ; 
then  again  they  've  got  trouble  with  their  servants 
or  their  landlords,  and  want  him  to  help  'em  out, 
and  you  'd  s'pose  he  was  a  lawyer !  " 

Persis  pulled  her  shawl  up  around  her  shoulders 
with  a  wrathful  gesture. 

"  It 's  a  fact,"  acknowledged  Miss  Norman. 
"  We  are  not  wholly  innocent  ourselves,  my  sister 
and  I,  though  we  do  try  to  have  some  considera 
tion.  He  is  a  wonderful  man,  and  I  don't  think 
people  can  help  drawing  upon  him." 

"  Yes,  he  's  just  an  earthly  angel,"  said  Persis, 
with  another  and  resigned  hitch  to  her  shawl. 
"  And  if  you  think  it 's  an  easy  job  to  keep  house 
for  an  angel,  why,  you  're  much  mistaken.  I  'm 
always  expectin'  he  '11  get  to  be  one  out  o'  the 
flesh,  the  way  he  does  risk  himself  in  all  sorts  o' 
places  and  with  all  sorts  o'  folks.  It 's  a  wonder 
how  he  never  ketches  any  o'  the  diseases  in  them 
tenements." 


8  DR.  LATIMER. 

Miss  Norman  shook  her  head.  "  Sister  Agnes 
and  1  often  remark  that  he  seems  to  bear  a  charmed 
life.  I  think  I  see  a  difference  in  him,  Persis,  in 
these  last  years,  —  a  difference  for  the  better,  phy 
sically." 

"Law,  yes,"  returned  the  housekeeper  with  a 
toss  of  her  head.  "  There  ain't  the  least  doubt 
that  the  world  looks  like  a  better  place  to  him 
since  that  —  that  vampire  died !  " 

"  You  use  strong  language." 

"  Not  strong  enough,  though.  There  ain't  any 
name  strong  enough  to  do  her  justice  that  ever  I 
heard  of.  She  took  away  his  happiness,"  -  —  Miss 
Applebee  made  a  sweeping  gesture  with  one  hand ; 
"  she  took  away  his  health  ;  she  took  away  all  of 
his  money  that  her  ingenuity  could  lay  hands  on." 
She  paused  dramatically,  and  Miss  Norman  nod 
ded  her  head  with  the  air  of  one  forced  to  agree. 

"  Indeed  she  did,"  she  admitted.  "  I  suppose, 
first  and  last,  she  got  thousands." 

"Well,"  ejaculated  Persis,  her  broad  counte 
nance  regarding  Miss  Charlotte's  slender,  long- 
nosed  face,  "  then  when  she  went  to  her  reward, 
five  years  ago,  no  wonder  it  sort  o'  wiped  off  the 
slate  for  the  doctor  and  gave  him  a  fresh  start." 

"  I  'm  sure  we  can't  be  too  thankful,"  began 
Miss  Norman.  "  His  very  nobility  and  determi 
nation  to  crush  down  his  own  repugnance  rather 
than  drive  an  erring  soul  farther  along  the  down- 
Ward  road  made  him  a  victim.  There,  there,"  she 
added,  alert  for  signs  of  life  in  the  opposite  house, 


MISS  NORMAN'S  NEIGHBORS.  9 

"  there  is  one  of  them  now."  As  she  spoke,  a 
young  girl  in  hat  and  jacket  came  out  of  the  brick 
house  and  crossed  the  street.  As  she  passed  the 
corner  near  which  Miss  Norman  and  Persis  were 
standing,  the  girl  caught  the  hitter's  eye.  Her 
face  brightened,  and  she  made  a  slight,  involuntary 
movement  of  recognition  as  she  went  swiftly  oil 
her  way. 

"  Why,  she  bowed  to  you,"  exclaimed  Miss  Nor 
man  in  great  surprise.  "  I  wonder  whom  she  took 
you  for  ?  " 

"  Persis  Applebee,  I  guess,"  remarked  that  indi 
vidual  dryly.  "  That  girl  was  to  see  the  doctor  a 
day  or  two  ago.  We  might  'a'  known  they  'd  be 
after  him.  It  seems  she  's  come  out  here  to  keep 
school.  I  had  some  talk  with  her  afore  the  doc 
tor  came  home." 

"  That  accounts  for  a  lot  of  little  chairs  that 
went  in  there  this  morning,"  observed  Miss  Nor 
man.  "  But  how  do  you  suppose  they  had  heard 
of  Dr.  Latimer  already  ?  " 

"  Somebody  'd  given  her  a  letter  to  him,  and 
she  wanted  him  for  a  reference  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  I  believe.  Anyhow,  I  s'pose  now  he  's  got 
another  family  on  his  hands  worse  '11  usual,  for  the 
girl  said  she  was  an  orphan." 

"  Then  they  have  no  mother  coming  to  them," 
said  Miss  Norman  severely.  "  I  don't  like  it  at 
all.  This  comes  of  these  vulgar,  cheap  flats  being 
built  up  in  our  neighborhood.  Common  people 
are  sure  to  come  in.  Well,  good-by,  Persis,  I  'm 


10  DR.  LA  TIME  It. 

beginning  to  feel  cold,  I  must  n't  stand  here  any 
longer ;  "  and  Miss  Norman,  coughing  delicately 
behind  her  hand,  went  up  the  path  and  into  the 
neat,  old-fashioned  house  which  retreated  from 
the  street  behind  its  shade  trees  with  an  air  of  ex 
clusive  refinement. 

The  little  family  across  the  way  were  not  dis 
missed  from  her  mind,  however ;  and  whenever 
she  approached  the  front  windows  during  the  day, 
she  looked  down  the  perspective  of  her  own  deco 
rous  front  yard  to  the  upstart  brick  house,  with  its 
cheap  newness  of  red  and  white,  its  bare,  angular 
outline,  and  its  objectionable  tenants ;  and  with 
each  view  her  sense  of  injury  increased. 

"  We  shall  have  to  move  away.  After  all  these 
years  we  shall  have  to  move  away,"  she  solilo 
quized.  "  If  the  neighborhood  is  going  to  change 
like  this  it  will  be  unbearable." 

In  fancy  she  heard  the  boots  of  noisy  children 
clatter  over  the  bare  staircase  opposite.  She  heard 
shrill  shouts  and  cries.  They  were  quarrelsome 
children,  and  they  threw  stones  which  broke  her 
windows,  and  in  spring  defaced  her  flower-garden. 
Miss  Norman  suffered  a  great  deal  in  a  few  hours 
from  those  supposititious  pupils,  and  their  numbers 
would  have  rejoiced  the  heart  of  the  young  would- 
be  teacher  opposite,  could  the  vivid  fancy  have  be 
come  fact.  Worst  of  all,  these  ill-bred  children 
would  contaminate  Dickie ! 

Miss  Norman  looked  out  of  the  window  appre 
hensively,  as  the  doubt  assailed  her,  to  make  cer- 


MISS  NORMAN'S  NEIGHBORS.  11 

tain  that  her  orphan  nephew  was  in  sight.  Yes, 
there  he  was.  She  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  little 
red  scarf  at  the  -extreme  left  of  the  yard,  and 
heard  at  the  same  time  the  frantic  barking  of  the 
pug  who  was  his  constant  companion. 

Assured  that  so  far  the  baleful  influence  of  the 
opposite  house  had  not  begun  to  take  effect  upon 
her  treasure,  Miss  Charlotte  seated  herself,  and, 
taking  from  her  basket  a  very  abbreviated  pair  of 
trousers  which  needed  mending,  began  to  formu 
late  mentally  a  new  set  of  rules  for  Dickie's  guid 
ance,  especially  calculated  to  insure  his  safety  in 
the  presence  of  such  perilous  circumstances  as  were 
likely  soon  to  surround  him. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A   FIRST    "AT   HOME.' 


THE  youngest  of  the  three  sisters  who  had  in 
curred  Miss  Norman's  displeasure  was  sitting  on  a 
table  swinging  her  slippered  feet.  The  hour  was 
seven  p.  M.  and  the  place  was  one  of  the  rooms  of 
that  flat  whose  proximity  caused  Miss  Norman's 
nostrils  to  dilate  disapprovingly. 

"  Well,  here  we  are,  settled  for  life,"  the  girl 
remarked  cheerfully,  looking  about  her  with  some 
satisfaction,  and  addressing  nobody  in  particular. 

"  I  'm  sorry  to  hear  that,  Vernon,"  remarked 
her  eldest  sister  from  the  depths  of  an  armchair 
against  whose  faded  back  her  head  with  its  coils  of 
silky  black  hair  leaned  languidly.  "If  you  are 
going  to  maintain  such  an  attitude  of  abandon  for 
any  length  of  time,  I  think  Helen  had  better  estab 
lish  a  department  for  etiquette  in  addition  to  the 
kindergarten,  and  let  you  attend." 

"Certainly,  I  would  take  charge  of  it  with 
pleasure,"  returned  the  young  girl  airily,  waving 
her  hand  and  clicking  her  heels  together  as  she 
swung  her  feet  gently.  "Anything  to  oblige 
Helen,"  and  she  looked  at  the  third  girl,  who  sat 
near,  winding  a  ball  of  bright  worsted.  "You 


A  FIRST  "AT  HOME."  13 

need  n't  criticise  me,  Josephine,"  she  added,  turn 
ing  again  toward  the  eldest,  "  for  unless  one  of  us 
does  sit  on  the  table,  or  under  it,  I  should  like  to 
know  where  we  are  to  stow  ourselves  when  we 
wish  to  have  a  family  party  here  between  meals." 

"  Oh,  it  is  n't  so  bad  as  that,"  said  Helen  smil 
ing,  and  lifting  her  gentle  face  to  the  saucy  one 
above  her. 

"  Of  course  Plelen  wants  to  make  light  of  it, 
having  monopolized  the  one  good-sized  room  for 
her  school ;  "  the  speaker  suddenly  jumped  lightly 
down  from  her  perch,  and  hugged  the  worker,  to 
the  great  detriment  of  the  green  worsted  ball. 
"  No,  no,  TIO,"  she  added  with  explosive  affection. 
"  We  're  glad  you  have  it,  Helen."  A  hearty  kiss 
here  for  a  period.  "  We  like  to  have  our  dining- 
room  and  parlor  and  reception-room  and  drawing- 
room  all  in  one,  and  about  seven  by  nine  in  size, 
don't  we,  Josephine?  " 

"  Very  much,  indeed.  Especially  with  the  cloth 
dragged  half  off  the  table,"  replied  the  low  voice 
in  the  easy-chair.  "  Vernon,  you  're  a  terror,  and 
now  we  are  shut  up  in  this  box  you  really  must  be 
more  careful." 

Vernon  pulled  the  cloth  straight.  "  Fortunately 
there  is  n't  much  to  break,"  she  remarked  optimis 
tically. 

"Yes,  but  supposing  we  should  all  three  take 
a  fancy  to  get  up  at  once,  and  should  do  it  a  la 
whirlwind,  as  you  do  !  I  don't  see,"  with  a  sigh, 
"  how  there  can  be  so  much  spring  left  in  you  after 
to-day." 


14  D-R.  LATIMER: 

"  We  have  n't  either  of  us  worked  as  hard  as 
you  have,  Josephine,"  said  Helen  sympathetically; 
"  but  what  a  satisfaction  it  is  that  we  're  settled 
for  one  while." 

"  For  life,"  repeated  Yernon,  who  had  sprung 
back  to  her  seat  on  the  table.  "  As  Herr  Bruch 
said  when  he  was  so  tired  after  helping  his  land 
lady  get  into  the  new  house,  '  Positivela,  I  do  not 
move  again ! ' 

Josephine  laughed,  for  Yernon's  tone  brought 
up  the  remembrance  of  the  gentle  German's  fierce 
glare  through  his  spectacles  as  he  tersely  expressed 
his  fatigue. 

"  Nice  Mr.  Bruch,  I  asked  him  to  come  to  see 
us,"  observed  Josephine.  "He  is  so  homesick 
and  forlorn."  After  a  moment  she  added:  "If 
only  you  do  make  a  success  of  the  school,  Helen, 
we  shall  be  all  right.  Do  you  think  Dr.  Latimer 
will  help  you?" 

"  I  think  so.  He  gave  me  his  name  very  will 
ingly." 

"  What  man  would  n't  ?  "  remarked  Yernon  ir- 
repressibly ;  "  but  I  think  you  might  have  told  us 
before  ;  don't  you,  Jo  ?  That  was  two  days  ago." 
Helen  smiled,  and  shook  her  head,  as  she  pro 
ceeded  with  her  winding.  "  You  would  n't  make 
that  sort  of  a  joke  if  you  had  met  him." 

"  Why  not?     Is  he  the  Beast  of  the  story  ?  " 
"Worse    and   worse,"    exclaimed    Helen   with 
another  shake  of  her  smooth,  brown  head.     "  He 
is  a  man  who,  if  he  came  in  here  now,  would  make 
you  jump  off  that  table  instantly." 


A  FIEST  "AT  HOMEr  15 

"Then  I  hope  he  won't,"  put  in  Josephine, 
sotto  voce.  "  I  just  saved  two  glasses  the  last 
time." 

"  Pooh !  any  man  could  make  me  get  off  the 
table,"  replied  Vernon  to  Dr.  Latimer's  admirer. 
"  You  don't  suppose  I  would  sit  here  if  company 
came  in,  do  you  ?  Don't  look  so  mysterious  and 
keep  wagging  your  head  that  way.  You  seem  to 
have  been  impressed.  What  is  he  like  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  is  tall,  and  rather  thin,  and  has  thick 
gray,  wavy  hair,  and  a  short  brown  beard,  and  his 
eyes  and  teeth  are  the  bluest  and  whitest  things 
I  ever  saw,"  returned  Helen  thoughtfully. 

Vernon  laughed.     "  What  a  description !  " 

"His  lips  are  firm,  and  he  holds  them  closed 
most  of  the  time.  His  eyes  are  peculiar.  They 
have  this  wonderful  color,  and  they  look  at  you  so 
—  into  you,  you  know  ;  and  there  is  a  stern  sort 
of  a  line  in  his  forehead.  Then  he  smiles,  and  — 
I  don't  know  the  effect  on  other  people ;  but  if 
you  are  a  kindergartner  and  very  anxious  to  gather 
a  school  and  afraid  you  won't  —  you  grow  com 
forted  and  warm  all  over  when  Dr.  Latimer 
smiles." 

"  You  must  canvass,"  declared  Josephine  prac 
tically,  her  thoughts  not  having  followed  Helen's 
portraiture. 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  I  must,"  replied  Helen,  with  a 
catch  in  her  breath.  "  If  only  I  were  not  afraid 
of  people.  If  I  looked  like  you,  Jo,  and  could 
stalk  into  a  woman's  house  and  bend  my  black 


16  DR.  LATIMEE. 

brows  upon  her,  and  say  majestically :  '  Give  me 
your  children  ! '  then  it  would  be  all  right." 

"Yes,"  grumbled  Vernon  ;  "  but  what  you  will 
do  is  to  hesitate  and  say,  '  I  have  n't  any  govern 
ment,  and  I  'm  110  kind  of  a  teacher,  and  I  have  n't 
a  well-ventilated  room,  madam,  and  there  is  a  flight 
of  stairs  which  I  fear  is  dangerous ;  but  if,  under 
those  conditions,  you  are  willing  to  send  your  chil 
dren  to  me,'  etc.  You  had  better  let  me  go.  I  'in 
not  afraid,  and  I  '11  go  first  to  that  house  across 
the  street.  It  has  such  a  pleasant  look,  and  there 
is  a  little  boy  there  just  green  enough  for  you  to 
gather  and  just  ready  to  your  hand." 

"  Yes,  I  must  try  it,"  admitted  Helen.  "  I  saw 
the  lady  this  morning  as  I  passed." 

"  I  made  a  discovery  to-day,"  said  Josephine, 
sitting  up  and  looking  suddenly  interested.  "Who 
do  you  suppose  lives  in  that  house  ?  Miss  Nor 
man." 

"  What  Miss  Norman  ?  "  asked  Helen. 

"  Why,  Agnes  Norman." 

"  The  pianist  ?  "  astonished. 

"  Yes,  indeed.  Think  of  living  across  the  street 
from  her.  In  the  summer  time  we  can  hear  her 
play,  with  the  windows  open,  and  perhaps  we  may 
become  acquainted,"  added  Josephine  hopefully. 

"  It  will  be  like  having  a  season  ticket  to  the 

club's  soirees,  and  all  trouble  and  expense  of  full 
dress  saved," 

"  That  is  good  news,"  said  Helen. 

"  When  you  go  to  see  the  little  boy's  mother," 


A  FIRST  ''AT  HOME."  17 

suggested  Vernon,  "  you  can  bring  in  some  grace 
ful  flattery  of  Miss  Norman,  and  say  we  consider 
ourselves  fortunate  to  live  opposite  her." 

Josephine  laughed.  "  Miss  Norman  would  be 
overwhelmed  with  such  a  compliment ;  but  still, 
Helen,  I  would  go  first  to  that  house.  They  are 
likely  to  be  influential  people  in  the  neighborhood. 
Who  is  that  ?  "  added  Josephine,  as  a  noise  sounded 
outside.  "  Somebody  is  coming  upstairs.  Oh, 
dear,  how  he  stumbles.  That  hall  gas  ought  to  be 
lighted." 

She  rose  as  some  one  knocked,  and  Yernon 
slipped  from  the  table  and  hastened  to  open  the 
door. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Bruch,"  her  sisters  heard  her  say  ; 
then  she  entered,  followed  by  the  German  teacher, 
who  carried  his  silk  hat  in  his  hand,  and  beamed 
upon  the  girls  benevolently  through  his  spectacles 
as  they  greeted  him. 

"I  call  to  see  if  you  have  been  settled  already," 
he  said,  "  and  you  excuse  me  that  I  make  so  much 
noise  on  your  stairs.  I  could  see  nothing,  and  my 
feet  are  slippery,"  looking  down  at  his  high-heeled 
boots. 

"  It  is  too  bad  the  gas  was  not  lighted,"  returned 
Josephine.  "  Take  off  your  coat,  Mr.  Bruch,  and 
sit  down  in  the  big  chair.  It  was  good  of  you 
to  hunt  us  up  so  soon,  and  it  has  been  raining, 
has  n't  it?" 

"  Oh,  it  is  a  fearful  weather ! "  returned  the  little 
man  fervently.  "  It  has  rained  and  then  it  freezes, 


18  DR.  LAT1MEE. 

and  the  sidewalks  are  ice,  and  the  wind  it  "blows, 
and  realla,  I — I"  -  searching  frantically  for  a 
phrase  to  express  with  sufficient  force  the  discom 
forts  of  his  pilgrimage  —  "I  flew  more  than  I 
came !  " 

Vernon  suddenly  turned  her  back  and  rattled 
the  glasses  on  a  corner  bracket  which  did  duty 
for  a  sideboard. 

"  I  am  sure  we  appreciate  your  kindness  all  the 
more,"  said  Helen.  "Don't  you  think  we  look 
cozy  here  ?  " 

"  Almost  too  cozy,"  laughed  Josephine. 

"  It  is  a  cheerful  home,"  said  the  German,  look 
ing  about  the  room  and  nodding.  "  I  wish  that  I 
had  one,  too,  and  the  little  ones  in  it.  Yes,"  nod 
ding  sadly,  "  with  the  little  ones  in  it." 

"  Josephine  told  me  you  had  two  children," 
said  Helen  gently.  "  I  know  you  miss  them  very 
much." 

"  Yes,  they  are  far,  far  away.  I  shall  show  her 
their  pictures  ? "  he  added,  giving  an  apologetic 
look  at  Josephine. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  do,"  replied  the  latter,  encour 
agingly.  "  They  are  pretty  little  things." 

Mr.  Bruch  brought  from  an  inside  pocket  a 
leather  case  and  exhibited  two  photographs  of  a 
boy  and  girl. 

"  The  boy — he  looks  like  his  mother,"  he  ex 
plained,  as  Helen  gazed  at  the  little  faces  and 
Vernon  came  to  look  over  her  shoulder.  "  She 
left  me  when  he  came.  I  look  to  the  day  when  I 
have  the  little  ones  here." 


A  FIRST  "AT  HOME."  19 

"  Indeed  you  must." 

"  They  are  with  their  aunt  and  they  are  happy. 
They  begin  to  go  to  school." 

"  Show  my  sister  how  you  follow  their  move 
ments,"  suggested  Josephine.  "  It  is  a  very  happy 
thought." 

The  visitor  smiled  and  took  a  silver  watch  from 
the  left  pocket  of  his  vest.  u  This  tells  me  the  time 
in  Germana,"  he  said,  opening  the  watch  before 
Helen's  eyes.  "  I  look  at  it  and  know  when  the 
little  ones  are  going  to  bed,  and  when  they  get  up, 
and  when  they  go  to  school.  Here,"  touching  his 
right  side,  "  is  the  watch  that  keeps  my  time  in 
Boston." 

Helen  and  Josephine  exchanged  a  glance  of 
appreciation. 

"  That  is  lovely,  Mr.  Bruch,"  said  the  former, 
handing  back  the  photographs.  "  I  wish  the  little 
ones  were  here,  and  that  you  would  let  them  come 
to  my  kindergarten." 

"  You  have  one,  yes  ?  "  said  the  German,  look 
ing  up  brightly. 

"  I  hope  I  shall  have.     I  am  going  to  try." 

"  This  will  be  the  place  for  the  little  ones,  and 
not  our  school,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  Josephine. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  replied  the  latter,  "  and  when 
Miss  Helen  Ivison's  academy  has  become  famous, 
perhaps  she  will  engage  Professor  Hermann  Bruch 
and  Miss  Josephine  Ivison  to  teach  German  and 
drawing  in  her  establishment.  We  would  bid  fare 
well  to  the  board  of  education  for  her  sake,  would  n't 
we,  Mr.  Bruch?" 


20  DR.  LATIMER. 

He  nodded,  smiling.  "  We  come  when  she  wants 
us,"  he  returned.  "  I  have  some  private  pupils  at 
last,  Miss  Ivison." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  responded  Josephine 
cordially.  "  You  will  get  your  children  the 
sooner." 

"  Yes,  I  am  very  glad.  They  come  to  my  room 
and  it  saves  my  time.  There  is  a  gentleman  out 
here  who  they  told  me  would  help  me,  and  he  does. 
Jt  is  a  Dr.  Latimer." 

"  Oh,  do  you  know  him  ?  "  asked  Helen,  looking 
up  from  the  new  ball  she  had  commenced.  "  He 
is  going  to  help  me,  too,  I  think." 

"  He  is  a  perfect  gentleman,"  declared  Mr. 
Brucli  impressively.  "  While  others  promise 
something,  he  takes  trouble  for  you." 

"  Well,  since  Dr.  Latimer  has  made  such  an  im 
pression  on  you  both,  it  might  be  well  for  me  to  go 
to  him  with  my  quandary,"  remarked  Josephine. 
"  I  am  anxious  to  know  what  to  do  with  my  little 
sister  Vernon,  Mr.  Bruch." 

The  German  gazed  at  the  young  girl  kindly. 
"  I  do  not  hear  that  name  until  I  meet  your  sister/' 
he  remarked. 

"  My  name  was  prepared  for  a  boy,"  explained 
Vernon  herself.  "  It  was  my  mother's  name  be 
fore  she  was  married ;  so  when  a  third  girl  was 
born  into  the  family,  my  father  just  rang  the 
chestnut  bell  and  gave  me  the  name  anyway." 

"Mr.  Bruch  cannot  understand  your  slang," 
said  Josephine  with  dignified  reproof. 


A  FIRST  "AT  HOME."  21 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  understand,"  replied  the  visitor, 
nodding  cheerfully.  "  I  know  the  chestnut  bell. 
Yes,  ting-a-ling,  I  know." 

"  I  wish  you  would  just  tell  my  sister  that  she 
doesn't  need  to  do  anything  with  me,"  observed 
Veriion,  who  was  sitting  decorously  now,  her  feet 
under  the  table.  "  In  some  inexplicable  way  she 
has  gained  the  impression  that  I  don't  know 
enough.  I  have  graduated  from  the  high  school, 
too." 

"  But  she  is  only  eighteen,  and  she  ought  to 
study  for  years  yet,"  said  Josephine.  "  We  can't 
afford  to  send  her  to  college,  so  the  question  is 
what  to  do.  I  am  busy  all  day,  and  Helen  we 
hope  will  be  "  — 

"  Which  proves  very  clearly  that  I  am  needed 
to  keep  house,"  interrupted  Vernon  with  decision. 

"  Yes,  let  the  young  lady  stay  at  home  and  learn 
to  make  soup,"  said  the  professor  feelingly.  "  I  do 
not  find  enough  soup  in  Boston,  and  my  stomach 
is  cold  for  it." 

"  Why,  I  am  afraid  your  landlady  does  not 
treat  you  well,"  said  Josephine  smiling.  "  I  think 
Americans  as  a  rule  like  soup." 

The  visitor  shook  his  head  with  a  grimace  of 
disapproval.  "  When  she  has  it,  it  is  not  right. 
It  is  much  water,  and  there  is  not  enough  salt 
between  it,"  he  replied  plaintively. 

"  I  am  afraid  Helen  and  I  would  starve  if  we 
permitted  Yernon  to  be  our  only  cook,"  remarked 
Josephine.  "  However,  we  will  see.  We  will 


22  DJ?.  LATIMER. 

invite  you  to  take  soup  with  us  some  day,  at  any 
rate,  Mr.  Bruch." 

The  professor  remained  for  an  hour  in  this  sym 
pathetic  atmosphere  and  then  made  his  adieux. 
Vernon  lighted  him  down  the  stairs  with  a  candle, 
while  the  other  sisters  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
flight  and  watched  the  descent. 

"Eh!  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  stood  at  last  at  the 
door.  "  Now  for  those  stone  steps.  I  wish  that  I 
were  down  !  " 

Vernon  laughed  irrepressibly  at  the  tragical  tone. 
"You  should  wear  overshoes,  Mr.  Bruch,"  she  said, 
looking  him  over  from  his  foreign  high  heels  to  the 
tall  silk  hat  set  forward  on  his  "  bang,"  while  his 
thick  hair  billowed  out  behind. 

He  looked  up  at  the  other  girls.  "  Miss  Yernon 
laughs  at  me,"  he  said,  "  but  all  the  same  I  shall 
thank  God  when  I  am  down." 

"  We  will  spread  ashes  on  the  steps  to-morrow," 
replied  Helen  sympathetically,  while  Vernon  held 
the  candle  and  tried  not  to  giggle  at  the  "  Ehs !  " 
and  "  Ahs  !  "  with  which  Herr  Bruch  accomplished 
the  short  descent. 

The  house  door  closed  just  as  one  of  the  profes 
sor's  feet  flew  out  unexpectedly.  He  struggled  to 
regain  his  balance  and  plunged  into  the  arms  of 
an  approaching  pedestrian. 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  thank  you  ;  I  thank  you  !  "  he 
exclaimed,  breathlessly,  as  a  strong  arm  raised  him. 
"  I  did  not  see  you ;  I  am  fearfulla  near-sighted." 

"  Why,  is  it  Mr.  Bruch  ?  "  said  the  other  com- 


A  FIEST  "AT  HOME."  23 

posedly.  "  It  surprises  me  to  find  you  out  in  this 
part  of  the  world." 

"Ah,  it  is  you,  Mr.  Randolph  !  "  The  speaker 
regained  his  perpendicular.  "I  am  here  to  visit 
some  ladies  who  live  in  that  house,  but  I  do  not 
come  again  until  the  ice  melts." 

"  Are  you  going  to  teach  there  ?  I  am  inter 
ested,  for  I  spend  at  least  one  evening  each  week 
at  the  house  across  the  street,  and  we  might  man 
age  my  lesson  at  the  same  time." 

"  No,  I  do  not  teach  them.  It  is  a  lady  who 
gives  drawing  lessons  in  the  same  school  with  me, 
and  she  has  permitted  that  I  visit  her.  I  have 
not  many  places  to  go." 

"  Ah !  that  is  it?    Well,  good-night,  Mr.  Bruch." 

"  Good-night,  Mr.  Randolph.  It  is  well  for  me 
that  your  arm  is  strong  and  your  foot  is  steada. 
Good-night,"  and  the  German  professor  proceeded 
with  great  caution  on  the  way  to  his  horse-car. 


CHAPTER  III. 
MISS  NORMAN'S  OPPORTUNITY. 

THE  next  morning  Josephine  returned  to  her 
usual  occupation  in  the  city,  and  Helen  Ivison, 
having  been  fortified  by  much  advice  and  instruc 
tion  from  Vernon,  opened  Miss  Norman's  front 
gate.  Her  heart  beat  very  close  to  her  throat  as 
she  walked  up  to  the  door  and  rang  the  bell. 

A  small  boy  peeped  around  the  corner  of  the 
house  and  a  pug  dog  ran  up  to  the  visitor  inquir 
ingly.  She  looked  beyond  the  pug  to  the  child, 
who  slowly  came  more  and  more  into  sight. 

"  Is  your  mamma  at  home,  dear  ?  "  she  asked 
softly. 

"  Have  n't  got  any,"  replied  the  boy,  staring  at 
her  with  bright,  brown  eyes. 

Close  upon  this  disconcerting  bit  of  news  the 
front  door  opened. 

"  Is  the  lady  of  the  house  at  home  ? "  asked 
Helen,  keenly  conscious  now  it  was  too  late  that 
she  should  have  learned  the  name  of  the  light- 
haired  lady  in  eyeglasses. 

"  She  is,"  replied  the  maid,  and  a  more  discour 
aging  tone  was  never  allied  to  Irish  brogue,  "  but 
she  's  busy.  I  don't  think  you  can  see  her.  Have 
you  any  message  ?  " 


MISS  NORMAN'S  OPPORTUNITY.  25 

"  I  should  like  to  see  lier  very  much.  I  will 
detain  her  only  a  short  time,"  said  the  visitor, 
modestly.  "  If  you  tell  her  that  I  am  her  neighbor, 
—  that  I  have  just  moved  into  the  house  across 
the  street,  —  perhaps  she  will  give  me  a  minute." 

The  girl  hesitated.  "  Step  in,"  she  said  at  last. 
Helen  gave  her  her  card,  and  walked  unsolicited 
into  the  parlor  and  sat  down,  remembering  Ver- 
non's  injunction  to  be  bold. 

Thanks  to  Miss  Norman's  curiosity,  she  had  not 
long  to  wait  before  that  lady,  attired  in  a  gray 
morning  dress,  entered  the  room. 

Helen  rose  and  met  the  guarded  scrutiny  of  the 
other's  eyes. 

"  Pardon  me  for  disturbing  you,  Mrs."  —  she 
hesitated. 

"  Miss  Norman,"  returned  that  lady  distinctly. 
"  Pray  be  seated." 

With  a  wave  of  her  hand  she  sat  down,  and  the 
girl  obediently  followed  her  example. 

"  My  name  is  Ivison.  My  sisters  and  I  have 
recently  become  your  neighbors,"  she  began  rather 
faintly,  Vernon  would  have  thought.  "  I  am  hop 
ing  to  start  a  little  school  here.  I  have  taken  the 
kindergarten  training,  and  some  of  my  friends 
thought  this  would  be  a  good  part  of  the  city  for 
me  to  succeed  in,  and  I  called  —  I  called  " 

Miss  Norman's  eyeglasses  were  regarding  her  so 
coldly  that  courage  and  breath  failed  the  speaker 
simultaneously. 

"You   and    your   sisters  have    taken   the   flat 


2fi  DR.  LATIMER. 

alone  ?  "  asked  Miss  Norman,  after  waiting  a  mo 
ment. 

"  Yes,  alone."  Had  the  girl  not  been  chilled 
by  her  hostess'  manner  she  would  have  been  glad 
to  go  into  particulars.  As  it  was,  she  littered  the 
two  words  with  difficulty. 

"  You  seem  very  young.     Are  you  the  oldest  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  The  youngest  ?  " 

"  No,  I  am  the  middle  one,"  replied  Helen, 
meekly.  "  I  am  twenty-one,  Miss  Norman,  and  I 
understand  my  work.  Probably  you  know  Dr. 
Latimer.  He  has  given  me  permission  to  refer  to 
him." 

"  Has  he  known  you  —  long  ?  " 

"  No,  but  I  succeeded  in  satisfying  him  with  my 
credentials,"  returned  the  girl  with  somewhat  less 
meekness,  for  Miss  Norman's  catechism  began  to 
rouse  her  spirit. 

The  latter  lady  saw  her  opportunity  to  speak  a 
wholesome  truth.  "  I  think  Dr.  Latimer  should 
have  told  you  that  three  young  women  of  your 
ages  should  not  attempt  to  live  alone  in  a  strange 
neighborhood." 

"  It  seems  a  very  nice  neighborhood,"  said  poor 
Helen,  astonished  and  deprecating. 

"  It  has  been  a  particularly  nice  neighborhood," 
replied  Miss  Norman,  with  impressive  significance. 
Here  her  small  nephew  strolled  slowly  into  the 
room  and  came  and  leaned  against  her,  keeping 
wide,  critical  eyes  upon  the  caller,  who  smiled  at 


MISS  NORM  AN' S  OPPORTUNITY.  27 

him  with  that  spontaneous  friendliness  she  always 
felt  for  children. 

"It  was  seeing  the  little  boy  in  the  yard  which 
made  me  come  to  you,  Miss  Norman.  I  thought 
possibly  you  might  like  to  send  him  to  school  if 
there  was  one  close  by." 

Miss  Norman  stared  at  the  speaker  in  evident 
amazement.  The  idea  that  she  should  be  expected 
to  countenance  that  obnoxious  arrangement  to  the 
extent  of  sending  her  treasure  into  the  care  of 
these  presuming  intruders  was  shocking. 

"  Excuse  me,  Miss  Ivison,"  she  answered,  put 
ting  a  protecting  arm  around  Dickie's  small  neck. 
"  It  is  owing  to  your  youth,  no  doubt,  that  you  are 
unaware  that  careful  parents  and  guardians  do  not 
send  their  children  to  school  in  a  new,  damp,  brick 
building,  and  especially  where  there  is  a  long  and 
dangerous  flight  of  stairs  to  be  considered." 

"It  is  not  very  long,"  faltered  Helen  blushing, 
"  and  I  am  going  to  have  a  gate  at  the  top  to  make 
it  safe,  and  the  upper  flat  was  so  much  cheaper !  " 

The  child's  wide  eyes  and  ears  understood  some 
of  the  signs  of  the  sweet  face  and  voice. 

"  Aunt  Charlotte,  I  'm  going  to  her  school,"  he 
announced  stoutly. 

"  Hush,  Dickie,"  exclaimed  his  aunt. 

Helen  rose.  "  I  see,  Miss  Norman,  you  do  not 
approve  of  my  undertaking.  Excuse  me  for  hav 
ing  taken  your  time,"  she  said,  controlling  her 
voice  carefully. 

The  little  boy  ran  to  her  and  flung  his  arms  up 


25  DE.  LATIXER. 

around  her  waist.  ••  Don't  you  want  to  see  my 
pugsy  ?  "  he  asked. 

••  Xot  this  morning,  dear."  she  answered  hastily, 
not  seeing  him  very  plainly  through  the  gathering 
mist  in  her  eyes.  Then  she  moved  across  the  room. 
"  Good-morning.  Miss  Xorinan." 

••  Say.  I  ean  play  the  fiddle."  persisted  the  child. 
"I'll  play  for  you  —  shall  I?  " 

"  Hush.  Dickie,  that  is  not  at  all  proper."  said 
Miss  Xornian  severely.  "  Take  your  hand?  ofit 
the  lady  at  once." 

••But  she  feels  ba— " 

••  Hush,  sh  —  good-morning.  Miss  Ivison  :  "  and 
as  Helen  closed  the  house  door  behind  her  she 
heard  shrieks  and  a  scuffling  sound  which  told 
that  there  was  something  amiss  with  Miss  Xor- 
man's  discipline. 

Vernon.  who  had  been  having  a  blissful  time  in 
the  tiny  kitchen  experimenting  with  various  un 
wholesome  messes  designed  for  her  own  and  her 
sister's  lunch,  heard  the  hitter's  step  on  the  stair 
and  rushed  out  into  the  corridor,  beating  a  tin  pan 
with  an  iron  spoon. 

••  Hail,  the  conquering  heroine  conies  !  ''  she 
cried.  Verily  it  had  its  compensations  that  the 
lower  flat  had  not  yet  found  a  tenant,  for  the 
youngest  Miss  Ivison  was  not  a  quiet  person. 

"Did  you  hook  him.  dear'?"  she  pursued  eagerly. 
••  Lunch  is  almost  ready,  and  you  must  eat  before 
you  set  out  again/' 

Helen  did  not  answer,  and  Vernon  looked  at  her 


XORUAyS   OPPORTUNITY.  29 

first  curiouslv  and  then  anxiously,  for  she  only 
smiled  and  walked  into  the  schoolroom  with  its 
scanty  paraphernalia.  There  she  sat  down  in  the 
nearest  of  the  dozen  little  chairs,  and  covering  her 
face  with  her  hands  be^an  to  cry*. 

••What  have  they  done  to  you.  Helen?"  asked 
Vernon.  dropping  upon  her  knees  and  clashing  the 
pan  and  spoon  together,  this  time  unintentionally, 
as  they  met  around  her  sister  in  a  fervent  embrace. 

4%  Oh.  Miss  —  Miss  Xorrnan  " —  gasped  Helen. 

*•  AVas  it  she  ?  "  exclaimed  Vernon.  ••  Then  I 
would  n't  go  to  hear  her  play  if  she  was  the  Last 
musician  on  earth." 

"  Xo.  not  the  —  the  piano  one.  Wait  a  — 
rn  in  ate." 

Vernon' s  big  blue  eyes  were  bright  with  sympa 
thetic  feeling.  She  looked  ready  to  attack  any 
body  who  could  hurt  her  gentle,  beloved  sister. 

At  last  Helen  was  able  to  speak.  ••  The  light- 
haired  lady  who  I  thought  was  the  little  boy's 
mother  is  Miss  Norman  too.  and  she  wa.s  so  dis 
couraging.  She  evidently  thinks  very  poorly  of 
us  because  we  live  here  alone,  and  she  says  the 
house  is  too  damp  yet  to  be  safe  for  a  school,  and 
she  spoke  of  the  stairs.  —  I  did  n't.  She  said  they 
were  n't  safe  either,  and  she  looked  at  me  in  such 
a  cold  way  "  — 

Poor  Helen  began  to  cry  again,  and  her  sister's 
eyes  blazed  blue  as  she  hugged  her.  Vernon 
had  n't  much  to  give  in  the  way  of  consolation  be 
side  hugs  and  kisses,  but  she  gave  those  lavishly. 


30  DR.  LATIMER. 

"You're  too  tender-hearted,  Helen,"  she  de- 
dared.  "  You  ought  to  have  defied  that  woman 
and  made  her  feel  that  all  she  said  slipped  off  you 
like  water  off  a  duck's  back.  I  hope  you  did  n't 
cry  before  her  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  did  n't,"  began  the  other  indig 
nantly;  u  but  I  came  very  near  it,"  she  added 
brokenly.  "  O  Vernon  !  I  'm  such  a  horrid  kind 
of  a  person.  Josephine  is  strong  and  firm,  and 
you  are  young  now,  yet  you  have  lots  of  character 
and  you  will  come  out  all  right;  but  I  am  con 
temptible  middling,  just  as  I  came  between  you 
two  in  age  and  in  the  color  of  my  hair,  and  I 
know  I  '11  always  be  a  failure  and  a  drawback." 

Vernon  was  greatly  disturbed  by  this  outburst, 
which  was  astonishing  indeed  from  the  unselfish 
and  even-tempered  Helen. 

"  My  dear  girl,  you  're  all  tired  out  with  the  mov 
ing,"  said  the  younger  sister  tenderly.  "  You  're 
talking  wildly.  There  isn't  a  day  passes  but 
that  I  remember  to  be  grateful  that  you  are  just 
what  you  are.  I  can't  live  up  to  Josephine  long 
at  a  time  ;  don't  you  know  that  ?  Her  ways  and 
her  standards  are  all  natural  enough  to  her,  but 
they  are  not  to  me ;  and  I  tell  you,"  added  Vernon, 
feelingly,  while  the  iron  spoon  clapped  her  sister 
between  the  shoulder-blades,  "  this  world  would  be 
a  good  deal  harder  place  than  it  is  if  it  were  not 
for  contemptible  middling  people." 

Helen  gave  a  faint  smile.  This  was  certainly 
comforting. 


MISS  NORMAN'S   OPPORTUNITY.  31 

"  A  better  name  for  them,"  continued  Vernon, 
•'  is  ordinary  mortals.  Give  me  ordinary  mortals. 
I  like  them." 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  being  disloyal  to  Jose 
phine." 

"  I  hope  not,  too." 

"  She  is  what  holds  us  together,"  said  Helen. 
"  We  should  be  all  afloat  and  helpless  without 
Josephine.  Such  a  gifted  being  as  she  is  !  Think 
what  an  artist  she  might  be  if  circumstances 
permitted  her  to  study,"  she  added,  with  devout 
faith,  "  yet  how  patiently  she  goes  her  round  of 
teaching  for  the  good  of  us  all.  I  am  afraid  you 
don't  appreciate  Josephine." 

"  Yes,  I  do,  perfectly.  I  'm  only  saying  she  is  a 
being  a  little  too  bright  and  good  for  human  na 
ture's  daily  food.  Speaking  of  food,"  —  Vernon 
rose  from  her  kneeling  posture,  —  u  you  must  have 
some.  Oh,  horrors !  "  with  sudden  recollection. 
"  My  cake  will  be  burned !  " 

She  flew  to  the  kitchen,  opened  the  oven  of  the 
little  oil  stove,  and  beheld  the  catastrophe  ! 

Helen  did  not  exult  openly  in  the  fact  that 
there  would  be  one  less  test  to  inflict  upon  her 
power  of  digestion,  but  praised  the  luncheon  that 
her  sister  served  to  her  across  the  little  table,  an 
important  feature  of  which  was  a  plate  of  molasses 
taffy. 

"  Are  you  going  out  again  ? "  asked  Vernon 
doubtfully,  when  they  had  finished. 

"I  suppose  I  must,"  answered  Helen,  swallow- 


32  DR.   LA  TIMER. 

ing  a  sigh  with  a  last  bit  of  bread.  "  Perhaps 
I  might  venture  to  disturb  Dr.  Latimer  once  more, 
and  get  from  him  the  suggestion  of  a  few  places 
to  try." 

It  is  often  the  case  that  speaking  of  a  person 
seems  to  invoke  him,  and  now  a  step  on  the  stair 
case  was  heard,  and  Vernon,  answering  the  knock 
at  the  door,  was  confronted  by  a  tall  man  who  re 
moved  his  hat  and  said  :  — 

"  Is  Miss  Helen  Ivison  at  home  ?  " 

The  deep-blue  eyes,  the  thin  lips,  and  the  short, 
waving  gray  hair,  —  above  all,  the  visitor's  manner 
and  restful,  slow  speech,  made  Yernon  certain  at 
once  of  the  identity  of  the  guest. 

She  colored  with  pleasure  and  embarrassment. 
"  Yes,  sir.  I  'm  sorry  I  have  n't  any  nice  place  to 
ask  you  into,"  —  leading  the  way  into  the  school 
room,  —  "  but  we  have  only  just  finished  lunch 
and  —  I  '11  bring  you  a  chair  big  enough  to  sit 
down  in,  in  one  minute." 

She  hurried  into  the  dining-room.  "  Dr.  Lati 
mer  !  "  she  announced  to  her  sister,  and  began  tug 
ging  excitedly  at  the  one  easy-chair  their  menage 
boasted. 

"  That  won't  go  through  the  door  easily,  Ver 
non,"  said  Helen.  "  I  will  take  one  of  these." 

Dr.  Latimer  met  and  greeted  her  with  quiet  cor 
diality  as  he  took  the  chair  from  her  hand. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Miss  Ivison  ?  What  a  pleas , 
ant,  sunshiny  room  you  have  here  !  " 

That  was  all  he  said,  in  his  deliberate,  unemphatic 


MISS  NORMAN'S  OPPORTUNITY.  33 

way,  but  for  some  reason  the  burden  of  responsi 
bility  and  apprehension  lifted  from  the  girl's  heart, 
and  suddenly  Miss  Norman's  opinions  became  in 
dividual  only,  and  not  the  voice  of  the  neighbor 
hood. 

u  Yes,  I  thought  we  were  fortunate  to  find  a 
southern  exposure,"  replied  Helen.  "  This  is  my 
sister  Vernon,  Dr.  Latimer." 

The  visitor  shook  hands  with  the  young  girl,  and 
said  with  a  smile  that  he  was  glad  to  see  her. 

Vernon  smiled,  too,  and  gazed  wistfully  into  his 
eyes,  and,  marvelous  to  relate,  had  nothing  to  say. 
She  felt  modest  and  insignificant  and  conscious  of 
a  fervent  wish  that  she  were  all  that  those  won 
derful  eyes  seemed  to  think  she  might  be. 

Dr.  Latimer  placed  the  chair  Helen  had  offered, 
and  as  he  seated  himself  the  girls  took  two  of  the 
little  chairs  and  looked  up  at  him. 

"  I  came  to  bring  the  addresses  of  a  few  friends 
who  I  found  were  interested  in  your  plan,"  he  said, 
addressing  Helen.  "  I  rather  think,  from  what  the 
mothers  say,  you  will  have  some  success  at  once. 
There  seems  to  be,  as  you  thought,  a  field  for  your 
work  here." 

The  effect  of  modesty  in  Dr.  Latimer's  quiet 
manner  was  heightened  by  a  changing  color  which 
at  times  came  and  went  in  his  face  as  he  talked. 
One  might  almost  have  thought  him  shy  but  for 
the  steady,  penetrating  gaze  of  his  eyes. 

"  I  thank  you  so  much,"  returned  Helen  grate 
fully,  the  hopeful  light  growing  in  her  expression* 


34  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  Your  neighbor  across  the  street,  Miss  Norman, 
has  a  little  nephew  to  bring  up  ;  she  is  an  old 
friend  of  mine.  I  just  stepped  in  to  see  her,  but 
she  had  gone  out." 

Helen  and  Vernon  exchanged  one  involuntary 
look,  the  former  conveying  a  warning  in  her 
glance.  It  was  proof  of  Vernoivs  subdued  state 
that  Helen  was  permitted  to  speak  uninterrupt 
edly. 

"  1  have  seen  her,  Dr.  Latimer,  and  I  find  she 
does  not  care  to  send  the  little  boy  to  me." 

The  visitor  looked  thoughtful.  "  That  surprises 
me,"  he  answered  at  last.  "  I  felt  sure  of  that  one 
pupil  for  you.  She  is  so  careful  of  Dickie  she  will 
not  send  him  far  from  home,  so  has  taught  him 
herself.  I  thought  she  would  hail  this  opportu- 
nity." 

Helen  smiled.  What  a  change  an  hour  had 
wrought  in  her  feelings  since  she  could  perceive  a 
humorous  aspect  to  her  interview  with  her  neigh 
bor  ! 

"  She  does  n't  hail  it  at  all,"  she  answered,  and 
Vernon's  eyes  began  to  sparkle  so  ominously  that 
Helen  slightly  shook  her  head. 

"  Perhaps  she  does  not  quite  understand,"  sug 
gested  the  visitor.  "  I  will  see  her." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  but  please  don't,"  said 
Helen  firmly.  "  Miss  Norman  was  very  decided, 
and  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  have  her  urged." 

It  was  not  in  Vernon's  flesh  and  blood,  or 
either,  to  remain  dumb  another  moment. 


MISS  NORMAN'S  OPPORTUNITY.  35 

"  We  don't  want  the  child !  "  she  burst  forth, 
with  a  curtness  very  far  removed  from  her  sister's 
manner. 

The  visitor  regarded  her  questioningly,  and  she 
blushed. 

"  Miss  Norman  hurt  Helen's  feelings  inexcusa 
bly,"  she  went  011  stoutly.  "  Helen  does  n't  want 
me  to  talk  about  it,  and  so  I  won't." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  Vernon  mention  it,"  said 
Helen,  distressed,  "  for  Miss  Norman  is  your 
friend.  Really,  it  is  of  very  little  consequence." 

Dr.  Latimer  made  no  comment,  but  took  from 
an  inside  pocket  a  short  list  of  addresses. 

"  I  hope  you  will  succeed  with  these  people,"  he 
said.  "  You  will  find  yourself  heralded.  Is  the 
flat  pretty  comfortable  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  shall  get  on  very  well,  though  this  is 
the  only  room  of  any  size.  Three  people  should 
not  require  much  space,  and  it  is  a  pleasantly  in 
dependent  life  after  boarding." 

"  You  have  a  third  sister  ?  " 

"Yes,  she  is  away  all  day.  She  is  a  drawing 
teacher." 

"  About  your  age  ?  " 

"  Josephine  is  twenty-four  and  I  am  twenty- 
one." 

"Yes,"  Dr.  Latimer  nodded.  "I  hope  pleas 
ant  people  will  move  in  downstairs." 

Helen  smiled  doubtfully.  "  We  think  it  is 
pretty  nice  to  have  the  whole  house  to  ourselves." 

"  You  are  not  lonely  ?  " 


36  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  Helen,  surprised ;  then 
added  anxiously :  "  You  think  it  is  all  right  for  us 
to  live  so  in  this  quiet  neighborhood  ?  " 

Dr.  Latimer  recalled  some  disapproving  remarks 
of  Miss  Norman's  apropos  of  the  girls'  indepen 
dence.  "  Yes,  I  think  you  had  good  reasons  for 
making  the  experiment,  and  I  hope  events  will 
justify  you,"  he  answered  ;  each  quiet,  carefully 
weighed  word  carrying  a  value  which  few  every 
day  speeches  bear 

When  the  visitor  had  gone,  Vernon  and  Helen 
looked  at  one  another. 

"  What  a  beautiful  man,"  said  the  former 
slowly.  "  Even  the  schoolroom  amounts  to  more 
because  he  has  sat  in  it.  Oh,"  —  with  a  quick 
sigh,  —  "I  don't  believe  I  shall  do  anything  loud 
all  day.  "  Wouldn't  " —  with  sudden  reflection  — 
would  n't  Josephine  admire  him  ! ' 

"  There,"  smiled  Helen,  "  does  n't  that  help  you 
to  rate  Josephine  at  her  real  worth  ?  " 

"  Pooh  !  "  exclaimed  Vernon,  with  quick  defi 
ance,  "  I  admire  him  just  as  much  as  Josephine 
will." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

A   BONE   OF   CONTENTION. 

His  interview  with  the  Ivison  girls  gave  Dr. 
Latimer  a  reason  for  making  a  call  a  few  evenings 
afterward  at  the  Normans. 

The  scene  upon  which  he  came  as  he  entered 
their  sitting-room  was  a  familiar  one.  The  usual 
fire  burned  upon  the  hearth,  Miss  Charlotte  sat 
near  the  centre-table,  upon  which  shone  the  usual 
lamp,  and  the  usual  bit  of  sewing  was  in  her  lap. 

"  You  have  Agnes,  too,  to-night,"  he  said,  look 
ing  across,  as  he  shook  hands  with  the  elder  sister, 
at  a  woman  who  rose  from  an  easy-chair  placed 
near  the  fire. 

"  Yes ;  this  is  one  of  my  nights  off,"  said  the 
latter,  coming  forward  and  cordially  offering  her 
hand.  "  I  am  glad  you  happened  to  choose  it,  for 
your  visits  have  not  been  numerous  of  late." 

Agnes  Norman's  voice  was  musical,  and  she  had 
the  graceful,  self-possessed  bearing  of  an  accom 
plished  and  successful  woman.  Her  careful  dress 
ing  and  a  charm  of  manner  which  everybody  felt 
stood  her  in  good  stead  of  beauty  and  assisted  to 
make  her  great  professional  popularity. 

"  The  off   nights  will  come  oftener  now,"    she 


38  DB.  LAT1MEE. 

continued,  indicating  a  seat  for  the  guest  near  her 
own.  "  It  is  growing  late  in  the  season.  I  begin 
to  dream  dreams  of  the  summer,  Doctor ;  do  you, 
too?" 

Dr.  Latimer  replied  at  first  only  with  the  smil 
ing  silence  which  was  so  important  a  part  of  what 
he  said.  "  I  sometimes  suspect  that  I  am  a 
dreamer  of  those  dreams  the  whole  winter  long,'* 
he  answered  at  last. 

"  It  would  be  honester  of  me  to  confess  to  that, 
too,"  said  Agnes.  "  Right  in  the  midst  of  giving  a 
lesson,  oftentimes,  the  picture  of  our  little  parlor 
rises  before  me  quite  spontaneously,  and  I  hear 
the  swish  of  the  waves  through  the  playing  of  my 
pupil,  and  a  warm,  exultant  sense  of  possession 
comes  over  me,  quite  different  from  any  sensation 
which  I  ever  feel  for  this  dear  old  home.  How 
do  you  explain  such  disloyalty  to  the  place  of  my 
birth,  Charlotte  ?  " 

"  Easily  enough,"  returned  her  sister  placidly, 
continuing  her  sewing.  "  You  can't  get  away 
from  people  here,  and  there  you  can.  I  dare  say 
that  fact  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  doctor's  affection 
for  the  island,  too.  Is  n't  it,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  great  consideration,"  admitted  the  vis 
itor.  "  When  we  feel  that  our  forces  have  run 
low,  that  little  spot  in  Casco  Bay  is  a  good  place 
in  which  to  gather  a  new  supply.  I  feel  grateful 
to  you  for  letting  me  in." 

Miss  Norman  laughed.  "We  don't  own  the 
whole  place,"  she  protested. 


A  BONE  OF  CONTENTION.  39 

"  What  place  is  that  ?  "  asked  a  masculine  voice 
with  languid  interest,  as  a  new-comer  pushed  aside 
the  portiere  and  entered  the  room.  "  How  do  you 
do,  Aunt  Charlotte,  Aunt  Agnes  ?  Good-evening, 
Dr.  Latimer." 

"How  do  you  do,  Olin?"  Miss  Norman  gave 
her  greeting  rather  severely.  Her  nephew's  man 
ner  was  too  off-hand  to  please  her.  There  was  no 
one  in  the  world,  and  there  never  had  been  any 
one,  not  even  Agnes,  whom  she  admired  so  fer 
vently  as  she  did  this  athletic-looking  man,  but 
there  were  many,  many  points  about  him  which 
she  did  not  approve.  "  I  was  saying  to  the  doc 
tor,"  she  added,  with  the  same  tinge  of  severity, 
"that  your  Aunt  Agnes  and  myself  do  not  own 
the  whole  of  the  island." 

"  The  —  island.  The  —  island,"  repeated  the 
young  man,  sinking  into  a  corner  of  the  sofa, 
stretching  his  long  legs  and  crossing  his  feet  in 
one  of  the  postures  which  Miss  Norman  often  de 
clared  he  would  not  indulge,  could  she  have  super 
intended  the  bringing  up  of  her  eldest  nephew  as 
she  was  doing  that  of  her  youngest. 

"  Heretic !  "  said  Agnes.  "  Beware  !  You  should 
know  by  this  time  that  there  is  but  one  island." 

"  Is  it  true,  Dr.  Latimer,"  continued  the  young 
man  with  his  customary  drawl,  "  that  two  summers 
down  there  have  not  been  enough  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  imagine  tiring  of  it,"  answered  the 
doctor.  "Your  aunts,  you  see,  have  been  going 
for  many  years,  and  only  love  the  place  the  better. " 


40  DK.   LATIMER. 

kt  Ye-es  :  but  Aunt  Agnes  is  a  misanthrope  and 
a  recluse  by  nature,  ami  Aunt  Charlotte  enjoys 
playing  philanthropist  among  the  natives."' 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed,  the  latter  indignantly. 
**  I  should  think  you  knew  the  islanders  better 
thaii  to  suppose  that  anybody  can  patronize  them.'' 

"  Well.  I  will  modify  my  statement.  Aunt 
Charlotte  loves  popularity,  and  she  is  immensely 
popular  at  the  island." 

'*  That  is  a  fact,  as  I  can  testify,"  said  the  doc 
tor.  "  I  judge  you  do  not  intend  to  pass  your  own 
vacation  there,  Olin." 

*'Xot  if  I  can  help  it." 

"  Which  you  can  easily  do,  my  dear,"  remarked 
Agnes,  smiling.  %t  What  made  you  suppose  we 
would  have  you  ?  " 

Her  nephew  squared  his  shoulders,  threw  his 
head  back,  and  regarded  the  ceiling.  k*  We  can 
only  judge  of  the  future  by  the  past,"  he  returned 
equably. 

"You  used  to  be  glad  enough  to  come,"  re 
marked  Miss  Charlotte  reproachfully. 

'•  Ye-es,  but  there  is  nothing  entertaining  to  me 
now  in  the  gait  of  a  lobster.  In  fact,  it  is  objec 
tionable.  Xow,  for  Dickie  "  — 

**  Oh,  it  is  just  heaven  for  Dickie.*'  exclaimed 
Miss  Charlotte.  '*  Why  did  n't  you  come  earlier, 
Olin  ?  Dickie  has  gone  to  bed  now." 

'*  That  is  quite  as  it  should  be,''  responded  her 
elder  nephew.  '•  The  last  few  times  I  interviewed 
my  cousin  he  proved  himself  to  have  such  an  affip- 


.-1    BOXE  OF  COXTESTION.  41 

ity  for  real  estate  carried  about  on  the  person, 
preferably  the  hands,  that  I  feel  as  though  I  could 
support  the  loss  of  his  society  until  he  shall  have 
evolved  into  a  more  esthetic  stage  of  existence." 

"  Xow,  Olin  Randolph,"  —  Miss  Norman  dropped 
her  sewin^,  — i;  no  woman  in  this  world  can  keep 
a  boy  of  Dickie's  age  clean  all  the  time.  It  is  sim 
ply  impossible.  You  know,  Dr.  Latimer,  how  ac 
tive  that  child  is,  running  about  like  a  bit  of  quick 
silver,  and  of  course  getting  himself  soiled.  I 
console  myself  with  the  idea  that  dirt  is  healthful." 

"  I  think  it  would  make  life  happier  for  Dickie," 
replied  Dr.  Latimer,  seeing  his  opportunity,  "  if 
he  were  to  go  to  school." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  so  it  would,  if  the  right  sort  of  one 
was  accessible,"  answered  Miss  Charlotte.  Then 
some  thought  altered  her  expression.  "  That  re 
minds  me,"  she  added,  "a  young  woman  came 
here  a  few  days  ago  using  your  name,  Dr.  Lati 
mer,  and  I  meant  to  tell  you  the  first  time  we  met ; 
for  I  can't  think  you  intended  to  allow  a  stranger 
situated  as  she  is  to  go  about  inducing  people  to 
listen  to  her  on  your  account.  I  don't  believe  I 
even  told  you,  Agnes,  for  it  was  that  very  night 
you  played  at  Brookline  ;  but  the  girls  who  have 
moved  into  those  disgusting  flats  are  going  to 
open  a  school,  and  they  wanted  Dickie." 

"  Wanted  Dickie !  Misguided  young  women," 
murmured  Mr.  Randolph. 

"  I  understand  that  you  refused,"  said  Dr.  Lat 
imer. 


42  DR.  LATIMEE. 

Miss  Norman  gave  a  short  laugh  as  she  twitched 
her  needle  energetically.  "  Certainly  I  did.  It  is 
bad  enough  to  have  such  a  school  exist,. without 
swelling  its  numbers  with  our  own  child." 

"  I  don't  understand  your  state  of  mind,"  said 
the  doctor.  "  If  the  school  should  fail,  it  would 
not  be  the  means  of  removing  the  building  which 
is  such  a  trial  to  you." 

"  Poor  Charlotte !  "  Agnes  smiled  at  the  fire. 
"  The  world  has  been  hollow  ever  since  the  scheme 
of  that  house  developed.  I  am  glad  you  did  n't 
design  it,  Olin.  To  have  had  it  proved  that  you 
were  the  architect  would  have  added  the  last  bitter 
drop  to  your  Aunt  Charlotte's  cup." 

"  Bitter,  indeed,"  remarked  Mr.  Randolph. 
"  You  are  kind  to  suggest  that  I  might  have  de 
signed  such  a  dismally  ugly  box." 

44  No,  Dr.  Latimer,"  replied  Miss  Norman  firmly, 
disregarding  this  by-play,  4' it  would  not  remove 
the  building,  but  it  might  be  the  means  of  remov 
ing  those  young  women  to  some  place  more  suita 
ble  for  three  girls  who  are  quite  alone." 

44  That  seemed  to  me  to  be  their  misfortune,  and 
not  their  fault,"  suggested  the  doctor. 

Miss  Charlotte  nodded.  44  So  it  is  ;  but  they  are 
old  enough,  in  my  opinion  —  at  least,  the  black- 
haired  one  is  ;  yes,  and  the  brown  haired  one,  too  — 
to  know  better  than  to  attempt  such  a  way  of  liv 
ing.  The  blonde  one  with  the  turn-up  nose,  espe 
cially,  needs  a  controlling  hand." 

A  little  pause  followed ;  then  Dr.  Latimer  said ; 


A    BONE  OF  CONTENTION.  43 

"  They  have  not  been  wholly  self-supporting  up 
to  now,  but  the  uncle  on  whom  they  partly  leaned 
seems  to  have  awakened  them  to  a  sharp  necessity 
for  becoming  so.  This  plan  was  suggested  and 
adopted.  Miss  Helen,  the  teacher,  interested  me 
very  much  in  the  talk  we  had  together.  She  is 
well  recommended." 

"  Then  it  is  with  your  authority,"  returned  Miss 
Norman  curtly,  "  that  she  uses  your  name  so  con 
fidently.  I  could  not  believe  it." 

"  I  am  sorry  you  did  not,  if  it  would  have  af 
fected  you  to  make  a  favorable  reply  regarding 
Dickie." 

Miss  Norman  looked  at  tli3  speaker  in  reproach 
ful  surprise.  "  You  a  doctor,  and  advise  me  to  let 
my  child  go  into  that  new,  damp,  brick  house  ?  " 

The  visitor  smiled.  "  Time  flies  fast,  Miss 
Charlotte.  You  forget  the  length  of  time  that 
house  has  waited  for  a  tenant." 

"  I  don't  trust  new  brick  houses,  and  I  object 
very  much  indeed  to  that  flight  of  stairs." 

"  I  should  think  you  were  making  a  mistake  not 
to  take  Dr.  Latimer's  advice,"  hazarded  Agnes. 
"  It  seems  just  the  chance  for  Dickie." 

"  You  have  n't  considered  the  situation  at  all," 
remarked  her  sister  with  some  sharpness ;  "  and 
Dr.  Latimer  is  a  man,  and  his  sympathies  have 
been  practiced  upon  by  that  girl ;  and  —  and  — 
I  only  hope  he  won't  repent  of  it,"  finished  Miss 
Norman  in  a  tone  which  conveyed  a  meaning  di 
rectly  opposed  to  her  words. 


44  DR.   LATIMER. 

"  Query,"  remarked  Mr.  Randolph  specula- 
tively.  "  Is  it  the  black-haired  one,  or  the  brown- 
haired  one,  or  the  blonde  with  the  turn-up  nose, 
who  teaches  drawing  ?  " 

"  It  is  the  eldest,"  said  Dr.  Latimer. 

Miss  Norman  gave  her  nephew  an  astonished 
glance.  "  How  do  you  know  about  them?"  she 
inquired. 

"  Another  of  Dr.  Latimer's  proteges  informed 
me  the  other  evening.  Bruch,  you  know,  doctor. 
He  had  just  been  calling  upon  them  when  we  met." 

"  Well,  I  do  not  know,"  said  Miss  Charlotte 
irritably. 

"  He  is  my  German  teacher,  and  the  eldest 
teaches  in  the  same  school  with  him  and  had  in 
vited  him  to  call.  That  is  all  I  know  about  it, 
Aunt  Charlotte,  or  I  would  gladly  tell  you  more." 

"  H'm,"  replied  Miss  Norman  in  a  tone  that 
spoke  volumes.  "  Don't  talk  to  me,"  and  she 
went  on  with  her  sewing. 

The  color  fluctuated  in  Dr.  Latimer's  cheeks. 
He  had  known  Charlotte  Norman  all  his  life. 
Her  brother  had  been  his  best  friend.  He  knew 
her  to  be  as  good  as  she  was  narrow,  and  he  knew 
this  capricious,  strong  prejudice  she  had  taken 
might  be  a  mighty  force  working  against  the  suc 
cess  of  Helen  Ivison's  little  venture. 

"  I  am  disappointed,"  he  said  at  last,  in  his 
gently  distinct  and  forceful  way.  "  I  have  always 
counted  on  you,  Miss  Charlotte,  for  every  good 
word  and  work,  and  I  counted  on  you  in  this  in- 


A  BONE  OF  CONTENTION.  45 

stance.  These  girls  are  alone,  but  they  would  not 
be  so  if  you  took  them  up.  They  are  poor,  but 
your  friendship  and  backing  would  bring  them 
comfort  and  add  to  their  financial  success.  If  they 
do  not  appeal  to  your  own  good  offices,  let  me  re 
mind  you  that  in  speaking  of  them  to  people  you 
can  harm  or  help  them,  and  I  cannot  believe  that 
after  the  expense  and  effort  they  have  been  at  — 
very  great  for  them  —  you  would  really  force 
them  to  go  away." 

Neither  could  Miss  Norman  quite  believe  it, 
hearing  the  fact  stated  in  the  doctor's  voice.  She 
murmured  something  indistinct  as  she  sewed  faster 
than  before. 

He  waited  a  moment  before  proceeding. 

"  I  have  not  met  the  eldest  sister  yet,  but  the 
other  two  seem  good  and  modest  girls.  It  is  im 
possible  for  us  to  refuse  to  believe  them  so  until 
they  prove  otherwise." 

"  Why,  do  you  know,  Charlotte,  I  like  the  sound 
of  those  girls,"  remarked  Agnes.  "  Surely  it  is 
not  the  fact  of  their  being  working-women  that 
makes  you  object  to  them  as  neighbors,  since  your 
own  sister  is  one? " 

"  Now,  is  n't  that  just  like  you,  Agnes !  "  ex 
claimed  Miss  Norman,  glad  to  give  vent  to  her  ex 
citement  and  irritation.  "To  compare  an  artist 
like  yourself  to  nobodies  like  those  girls !  " 

"  The  wise  teacher  of  a  kindergarten,"  said  Dr. 
Latimer,  "is  doing  an  angel's  work  on  earth. 
Think  it  over,  Miss  Charlotte,  and  if  Miss  Ivison 
proves  successful  you  will  admit  that  she  is  some- 


46  DR.  LAT1MER. 

body,  and  that  a  place  where  little  children  are 
gathered  and  instructed  is  not  a  bad  thing  to  have 
across  the  way.  I  must  say  good-night  now."  The 
speaker  rose  and  Miss  Norman  rose  also,  holding 
her  work  clasped  to  her  by  one  hand,  while  she 
gave  the  other  to  Dr.  Latiiner.  His  expression 
was  serenely  unchanged,  but  Miss  Norman  felt  un 
easy,  and  when  the  visitor  had  taken  his  departure 
her  voice  showed  it  as  she  spoke :  — 

"  Now  I  have  offended  Dr.  Latiiner,  I  suppose." 
"  Indeed,  you  have  not,"  remarked  Agnes.  "He 
is  the  most  impersonal  being  I  ever  knew.  People 
never  offend  him  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word. 
I  have  wondered  at  it,  but  I  think  they  can't  get 
up  where  he  is." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  that,  but  I  do 
know  that,  good  as  he  is,  he  can't  dictate  to  me 
about  Dickie's  education.  That  is  a  matter  I  must 
decide  for  myself." 

"  I  'm  sorry  I  have  no  time  to  find  those  girls 
out,"  said  Agnes,  "  since  Dr.  Latimer  takes  such  an 
interest  in  them.  However,  that  is  probably  the 
very  reason  why  they  do  not  need  me." 

"Make  me  your  proxy,"  suggested  Mr.  Kan- 
dolph.  "  I  will  make  a  study  of  them  in  turn  if 
you  like,  —  the  black-haired  one,  the  brown-haired 
one,  and  the  one  with  the  turn-up  nose." 

"  If  you  think  that  is  funny,  Olin,  you  are  much 
mistaken,"  returned  Miss  Charlotte  hotly;  "and 
now  I  request  as  a  personal  favor  that  you  and 
your  aunt  will  discover  a  new  topic  of  conversation. 
That  one  is  offensive  to  me." 


CHAPTER  V. 
JOSEPHINE'S  TRIUMPH. 

IN  spite  of  Miss  Norman's  disapproval,  Miss  Ivi- 
son's  kindergarten  was  soon  started,  and,  irritating 
as  the  subject  was,  Miss  Charlotte  found  it  impos 
sible  to  dismiss  it  peremptorily,  since  Dickie  was 
filled  with  eager  longing  for  the  mysterious  joys  in 
that  upper  room  across  the  street.  He  could  see 
the  children  march  and  countermarch  before  the 
windows.  He  could  hear  them  sing  "  Little  White 
Feathers  "  and  kindred  ditties.  At  intervals  they 
came  out  of  doors  into  the  rough  vacant  lot  beside 
the  house,  and  with  them  a  young  girl,  who  led 
their  plays  and  joined  in  them  with  zest.  The  little 
boy  grew  more  discontented  every  day.  Puggy 
barked  and  curled  his  tail  and  frolicked  about  in 
a  manner  surprisingly  energetic,  but  Dickie  was 
no  longer  satisfied  with  him  for  a  playfellow. 

Finding  his  aunt  firm  and  even  severe  in  her 
refusal  of  his  pleading  to  be  allowed  to  enter  the 
neighboring  paradise,  the  boy  ceased  coaxing,  but, 
in  the  unconscious  manner  of  childhood,  became 
more  urgent  in  actions  which  spoke  louder  than 
words. 

Bursts  of  merry  laughter  from  across  the  street 


48  DR.  LATIMEB. 

brought  Miss  Norman  stealthily  to  the  window  one 
morning  to  look  for  Dickie,  kept  within  the  gate 
by  her  mandate.  There  he  stood,  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  while  he  watched  the  progress  of  the 
games  with  big,  sad  eyes.  Miss  Charlotte  knew 
exactly  their  expression,  though  the  back  of  his 
head  was  toward  her.  They  were  so  like  the  eyes 
of  her  sister,  the  youngest  and  the  pet  of  the 
family,  who  had  died  when  this  child  was  born. 
No  wonder  it  gave  her  a  pang  to  see  them  clouded. 
As  Miss  Norman  gazed  she  had  to  make  an  effort 
to  steel  her  heart,  for  the  attitude  of  the  little 
figure,  with  the  red  scarf  around  its  neck  and  the 
plump  legs  so  wonderfully  quiet,  smote  her  heart. 
She  saw  that  Puggy  worked  in  vain  to  break  the 
spell,  and  at  last  quieted  down  and  evidently  fell 
into  his  master's  mood,  for  his  tail  uncurled  and 
he  brought  his  flat  face  close  to  the  gate,  appar 
ently  watching  with  equal  interest  the  proceedings 
across  the  street. 

Miss  Norman  had  to  own  reluctantly  that  the 
big  girl  who  led  the  games  showed  to  advantage  in 
her  present  position,  despite  the  facts  of  her  flushed 
face  and  soft,  disordered  hair,  and  she  gazed  with 
growing  interest  at  the  pretty  scene.  When  a  boy 
as  large  as  Dickie  flung  himself  at  Vernon,  and, 
with  the  activity  of  a  monkey,  threw  his  strong 
little  arms  around  her  shoulders  and  his  legs  about 
her  waist,  Miss  Charlotte  uttered  an  audible  "oh" 
of  sympathy  with  the  strain  which  she  supposed 
the  girl  to  be  enduring.  But  Vernon  stood  un- 


JOSEPHINE'S  TRIUMPH.  49 

moved  as  a  monument,  and  only  laughed  into  the 
mischievous  face  before  gently  pushing  the  boy 
down  and  starting  another  game.  Those  children 
were  having  a  hilariously  good  time,  while  Dickie  — 

Miss  Norman  left  the  window  determinedly  and 
returned  to  her  sewing.  She  had  not  yet  been  able 
to  forget  her  nephew's  eloquent  silence,  however, 
when  Dickie  broke  into  the  room,  his  excited  little 
face  a-beam  with  delight. 

"  Oh,  auntie,  the  lady  has  asked  me  to  come 
over  and  play  with  'em,"  he  cried  eagerly. 

"  What  lady  ? "  asked  Miss  Norman,  instinc 
tively  trying  to  gain  time. 

"  The  lady  that  plays  with  'em.  Can  I  go  ?  " 
The  short  legs  danced  with  impatience. 

"  No,  you  cannot."  Miss  Charlotte  felt  that  her 
only  hope  was  in  retaining  an  attitude  of  decision ; 
but  her  heart  sank  within  her  when  her  nephew 
fell  prone  on  the  floor,  and  in  loud  wails  gave  ut 
terance  to  such  poignant  disappointment  as  can  fill 
the  six-year-old  breast. 

"  It  would  n't  be  proper  —  listen  to  auntie  — 
hush,  Dickie,"  said  Miss  Charlotte,  in  the  pauses 
during  which  he  held  his  breath. 

She  endeavored  to  explain  to  her  nephew  that  if 
he  did  not  work  with  those  children  it  followed  that 
he  must  not  play  with  them.  Her  logic  upheld  her 
with  somewhat  less  discomfort  in  her  own  position, 
but,  as  might  have  been  expected,  did  not  affect 
Dickie,  sobbing  his  heart  out  on  the  floor  in  an 
abandonment  of  woe. 


50  DR.  LATIMER. 

At  last  Miss  Norman  was  obliged  to  cease  her 
efforts  and,  shaking  her  head  in  despair,  to  retreat 
from  the  coaxing  position  in  which  she  had  been 
leaning  over  the  child,  and,  resuming  her  chair  near 
the  open  fire,  to  go  on  sewing,  not  much  more  com 
fortable,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  than  the  small  boy  on 
the  floor.  As  a  usual  thing  she  possessed  plenty 
of  moral  courage  to  deny  Dickie  when  the  course 
of  duty  compelled,  but  in  this  instance  she  was 
dismally  uncertain  as  to  her  ground.  Her  con 
science  informed  her  that  her  own  willfulness  was 
at  the  bottom  of  this  ear-splitting,  heart-breaking 
discord,  and  she  dearly  loved  this  little  child.  So 
she  went  on  thinking  and  Dickie  went  on  crying, 
and  the  little  boy  found  relief  first,  for  throats  tire 
sooner  than  brains. 

This  scene  was  the  beginning  of  the  end,  for 
Miss  Norman  was  a  conscientious  woman,  and  the 
conflict  in  her  mind  could  have  but  one  outcome. 
It  was  one  Saturday  that  she  at  last  took  her  de 
termination  and  wrote  a  note  which  she  sent  across 
the  street  by  her  maid.  The  note  read  thus  :  — 

Miss  IVISON,  —  If  you  will  call  at  my  house 
once  more  I  should  like  to  talk  with  you  further 
regarding  your  school.  I  may  wish  my  nephew  to 
attend  after  all.  Yours  sincerely, 

CHARLOTTE  NORMAN. 

The  three  sisters  were  spending  the  holiday  very 
contentedly  together  at  home  when  this  note  was 
handed  in. 


JOSEPHINE'S  TRIUMPH.  51 

Being  addressed  simply  to  Miss  Ivison,  Josephine 
read  it  first  and  then  handed  it  to  her  sisters,  who 
put  their  heads  together  over  it. 

"  There  !  "  exclaimed  Vernon,  "  that  poor  little 
boy  has  teased  her  until  she  has  had  to  come 
around." 

Helen  only  smiled.  Josephine,  who  had  already 
received  a  dramatic  version  at  second  hand  of  her 
sister's  interview  with  Miss  Norman,  raised  the 
fine  black  curves  of  her  eyebrows  with  a  lofty  ex 
pression.  Yernon  alone  seemed  inclined  to  put  her 
emotions  into  words. 

"  If  I  ever  pitied  a  child,  that  Norman  boy  is  the 
one,"  she  remarked  emphatically.  "Penned  up 
there  all  day  with  that  old  maid  "  — 

"  Don't  use  that  expression,"  interrupted  Jose 
phine.  "  We  shall  not  like  it  when  we  are  fifty." 

uNor  deserve  it,  probably,"  returned  Vernon 
hopefully ;  "  but  if  I  do  not  marry  I  am  going  to 
make  it  a  point  to  be  the  sweetest  old  maid  that 
ever  was  seen.  Anyway,  it  would  move  a  heart  of 
stone  to  see  Dickie  gaze  through  the  bars  of  his 
prison,  and  it  evidently  has  done  so." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  exaggerated  Miss  Norman's  ter 
rors,"  said  Helen,  "  for  you  to  feel  that  way." 

"  She  was  spiteful  to  you,  Helen,"  declared 
Josephine.  "It  is  late  for  you  to  apologize  for 
her  now." 

"  I  must  say  I  dread  to  go  to  see  her  again,"  ad 
mitted  Helen,  "  she  hurt  my  feelings  so ;  but  then 
they  were  on  the  surface  in  those  days,  in  every- 


52  DR.   LATIMER. 

body's  way,  where  they  could  get  hurt  easily.  Now 
that  the  school  is  really  a  fact  and  successful,  I 
should  n't  be  such  a  baby." 

"  You  need  not  go,"  said  Josephine  decidedly. 

"  Oh,  I  must  take  some  notice  of  the  note." 

"  The  note  was  to  Miss  Ivison.  I  have  n't  many 
rights  in  this  menage,  I  know,  but  you  can't  deny 
that  at  least  I  am  Miss  Ivison,"  returned  the  older 
sister,  smiling.  "  I  will  go  to  see  Miss  Norman 
myself." 

Josephine  did  not  waste  smiles.  She  took  life 
rather  seriously,  as  she  had  been  forced  to  do,  for 
the  girls'  orphaned  condition  had  been  somewhat 
bitter,  owing  to  the  grudging  attitude  of  the  uncle 
to  whom  Dr.  Latimer  had  referred.  Now  when 
she  smiled  and  announced  her  intention,  Vernoii 
looked  at  her  admiringly,  and  exulted,  as  she  did  on 
rare  occasions,  that  they  had  a  Josephine,  strong, 
assured,  and  handsome,  whom  nobody  could  snub 
or  ignore. 

"  Good  for  you,  Jo  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I  would 
have  gone  myself  rather  than  let  Helen,"  and  she 
passed  a  caressing  hand  over  the  latter's  shoulder. 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  say,  Josephine  ? " 
asked  Helen  rather  doubtfully. 

"  I  will  say  the  right  thing,  never  fear." 

"  Well,  but  when  are  you  going  ?  "  for  Josephine 
showed  no  sign  of  ceasing  her  occupation  of  clear 
ing  out  a  bureau  drawer  which  had  waited  until 
now  for  its  time  to  be  unpacked.  "It  is  nearly 
five  o'clock." 


JOSEPHINE'S  TRIUMPH.  53 

"Helen,"  —  Josephine  regarded  her  sister  with 
accusing  eyes,  —  "  you  know  you  are  yearning  for 
Dickie." 

"  Well,  what  if  I  am  ?  "  defiantly. 

"  Just  this, —  that  you  had  better  stop  it  imme 
diately,  you  insatiable  baby-lover." 

"Why?  Do  you  believe  Miss  Norman  won't 
send  him,  after  all?"  asked  the  young  teacher. 

"  I  will  go  to  see  her  this  evening,"  replied  Jo 
sephine  evasively,  proceeding  with  her  sorting. 

Miss  Norman's  small  nephew  had  been  put  to 
bed  that  night  happy  in  the  promise  of  kindergar 
ten  Monday  morning.  Her  large  nephew,  after 
dining  with  her,  had  said  good-night,  in  order 
to  go  to  meet  his  Aunt  Agnes  by  appointment  in 
the  city.  He  put  on  his  overcoat  and  hat,  and 
opened  the  front  door,  when  he  was  confronted  by 
a  girl  standing  on  the  upper  step,  evidently  about 
to  ring  the  bell. 

They  regarded  each  other  in  silence  a  second ; 
then  the  girl  spoke  :  — 

"  Can  you  tell  me  if  Miss  Norman  is  at  home  ?  " 

Mr.  Randolph  took  off  his  hat. 

"  She  is.     Will  you  walk  in  ?  " 

"  I  am  sorry  to  trouble  you,"  said  the  girl,  step 
ping  into  the  hall  and  speaking  with  entire  self- 
possession.  "  Would  you  oblige  me  by  telling  her 
that  Miss  Ivison  would  like  to  speak  with  her  ?  " 

"  The  black-haired  one,"  thought  Mr.  Randolph, 
as  every  feature  and  tint  of  Josephine's  proudly 
carried  head  impressed  itself  upon  him  under  the 
hall  light. 


54  DR.  LA  TIMER. 

"  Miss  Norman  is  right  here  in  the  parlor,"  he 
replied.  "  Let  me  take  you  to  her." 

His  aunt  had  during  dinner  been  giving  him  an 
account  of  her  trials  with  Dickie  and  of  her  final 
capitulation.  She  had  spoken  patronizingly  of 
Helen  and  her  school,  and  attached  considerable 
weight  to  the  assistance  her  countenance  and  sup 
port  would  give  to  the  strangers,  explaining  at  the 
same  time  that  it  was  under  protest  she  gave  it,  as 
her  opinion  regarding  the  action  of  these  young 
girls  in  taking  up  an  unprotected  life  in  that  odi 
ous  house  still  remained  unchanged.  She  had  ob 
served,  however,  that,  probably  owing  to  Dr.  Lati- 
mer's  exertions,  the  children  of  several  of  the 
select  of  the  neighborhood  were  attending  Miss 
Ivison's  school  and  that  therefore  she  hoped  — 
with  a  deep  and  heavy  sigh  —  that  Dickie  might 
escape  contamination. 

Such  being  the  tenor  of  Miss  Norman's  confi 
dences,  Mr.  Randolph  was  the  more  surprised  to 
discover  in  the  apparition  which  had  confronted 
him  at  this  hour  one  of  his  aunt's  obnoxious  neigh 
bors.  Josephine,  unexpected  and  novel,  was  always 
impressive.  Josephine  discovered  at  Miss  Nor 
man's  door  alone  in  the  evening,  by  a  man  whose 
involuntary  gaze  of  curiosity  colored  her  richly, 
was  dazzling.  He  whose  indifferent  nature  was 
not  an  affectation  was  suddenly  possessed  by  won 
der  as  to  how  Aunt  Charlotte  would  be  able  to 
patronize  this  tall  young  woman. 

Ushering  the  girl  into  the  parlor,  he  stood  a  mo- 


JOSEPHINE'S  TRIUMPH.  55 

ment  while  Miss  Norman  rose  surprised  from  her 
chair.  lie  saw  at  once  that  the  visitor  was  unex 
pected,  and  he  saw  too  that  his  aunt  was  wholly 
unconscious  of  his  presence  ;  so,  deprived  of  an  ex 
cuse  for  lingering,  he  passed  beyond  the  portiere 
into  an  adjoining  room. 

"I  —  a — is  this  — a "  —  hesitated  Miss  Charlotte. 

"  Miss  Ivison,  yes,"  said  Josephine  pleasantly. 
"  You  wrote  me  or  my  sister  a  note,  I  think,  Miss 
Norman." 

Her  business-like,  though  gracious  manner  held 
a  demand,  and  her  hostess,  unaccountably  embar 
rassed,  offered  her  the  only  thing  she  could  think 
of,  —  namely,  a  chair. 

"  Won't  you  be  seated,  Miss  Ivison  ?  "  Miss 
Ivison  accepted  with  self-possession.  "  It  was  your 
sister  I  addressed  on  the  subject  of  her  school,"  re 
plied  Miss  Norman,  recovering  herself  and  recall 
ing  the  relative  positions  of  herself  and  this  young 
person,  who,  now  that  she  looked  at  her  with  more 
deliberation,  she  saw  was  really  quite  young  and 
not  at  all  startling. 

Josephine  bowed  slightly.  "I  have  come  in 
response  to  that  note,"  she  remarked,  and  then 
looked  at  her  hostess  with  calm,  polite  inquiry, 
which  left  the  latter  no  alternative  but  to  take  the 
initiative.  She  had  pictured  gentle  Helen  meeting 
her  more  than  half-way,  and  had  counted  on  her 
gratitude  as  a  very  pleasant  feature  of  their  inter 
view.  She  did  not  like  this  exchange. 

"  I  have  a  little  nephew."  she  began  somewhat 


56  DR.  LATIMEE. 

stiffly,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  "  whom  I  think 
of  placing  in  your  sister's  school.  I  should  like 
to  ask,"  she  added,  after  a  moment's  waiting  for 
Josephine,  who  continued  mutely  and  politely  at 
tentive,  "  if  you  find  the  house  quite  dry." 

"  Quite  dry,"  echoed  Josephine. 

"  Has  your  sister  seen  to  placing  a  gate  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs  ?  " 

"No  ;  she  has  not,"  replied  the  girl  suavely. 

Miss  Norman  stared  and  waited  for  an  apology, 
but  none  was  added. 

"  My  little  nephew,"  she  began  in  a  stately  man 
ner,  and  then  hesitated. 

"  Ah,  is  he  weak  —  is  he  —  backward  ?  "  asked 
the  visitor,  with  significant  and  sympathetic  pauses. 

Olin,  barefacedly  eavesdropping  in  the  next 
room,  came  near  betraying  himself. 

"  Not  at  all,"  exclaimed  Miss  Norman,  flushing. 
"  He  is  an  exceptionally  bright  child." 

"  Ah,  I  have  seen  the  little  boy  about,  and  I 
thought  from  your  speaking  of  the  gate  —  the 
children  who  come  to  my  sister  have  not  been 
young  enough  to  make  a  gate  necessary." 

"There  is  always  danger,"  said  Miss  Norman, 
still  heated,  "  of  children  falling  downstairs  when 
there  are  a  lot  of  them  playing  together." 

"  My  sister's  scholars  are  quite  carefully  watched, 
and  I  think  they  are  not  in  danger." 

"  You  ought  to  have  taken  the  lower  flat,"  said 
Miss  Charlotte.  She  had  thought  so  much  criti 
cism  of  these  girls  that  it  made  it  possible  to  speak 


JOSEPHINE'S   TRIUMPH.  57 

out  even  to  this  one  whom  she  had  seen  only  from 
a  distance  on  her  daily  walk  to  the  street  car. 

"You  have  kept  a  school,  then?"  asked  Jose 
phine  with  gentle  interest,  the  soft  velvet  of  her 
dark  eyes  becoming  luminous  with  sparkling  light. 

"  Not  at  all,  but  I  have  common-sense,"  responded 
Miss  Norman,  then  suddenly  became  conscious  of 
her  inexcusable  rudeness.  "  That  sounds  very 
brusque,"  she  added  quickly.  "I  only  mean — I 
only"  — 

She  stammered  because  Josephine  rose.  "  Yes, 
I  understand,"  answered  the  visitor  calmly.  "  When 
we  move  into  the  lower  flat  you  will,  perhaps,  want 
to  send  your  nephew  to  us." 

"  Oh !  wait  a  moment,  Miss  Ivison  ;  wait  a  mo 
ment,"  said  Miss  Norman  firmly.  "  In  consideration 
of  your  sister's  caution  and  regard  for  the  children, 
I  am  not  sure  that  I  shall  not  send  him  as  it  is." 

The  girl  regarded  her.  "  No,  indeed,  it  is  really 
fortunate  that  you  do  not  care  particularly  about 
it." 

"  Why,  I  do  care,"  replied  Miss  Norman,  making 
the  admission  reluctantly.  Somehow  her  attitude 
was  not  what  she  had  intended,  but  it  would  never 
do  to  have  this  interview  terminate  otherwise  than 
she  had  planned,  however  disagreeable  the  means 
by  which  such  termination  was  brought  about.  "  I 
do  care,  and  I  think  I  shall  bring  Dickie  Monday 
morning." 

Well  she  knew  that  if  for  any  reason  she  should 
fail  to  bring  Dickie  Monday  morning,  there  was  no 


58  DR.  LATIMER. 

house  in  that  region  which  would  be  adequate  to 
hold  that  young  gentleman  and  his  variety  of  emo 
tions. 

"  It  really  would  not  be  worth  your  while,  for 
my  sister  has  not  room  for  him,"  replied  Josephine 
with  composure. 

Miss  Norman  looked  aghast.  "  Oh,  she  can 
make  room  for  one  little  child,"  she  said. 

Josephine  shook  her  head  gently  but  firmly. 
"  It  is  impossible,  Miss  Norman.  I  came  to-night 
to  tell  you  so,  but  from  your  objections  to  our  ar 
rangements  I  supposed  that  I  had  made  a  mistake 
in  thinking  you  cared  to  send  the  little  boy." 

"  I  do  want  to  send  him,"  Miss  Norman  made 
haste  to  confess.  "The  fact  is,  he  wishes  very 
much  to  go." 

"  Ah,  that  is  unfortunate,"  remarked  Josephine, 
beginning  to  move  toward  the  door. 

Miss  Norman  yielded  to  the  hopeless  downfall 
of  the  position  she  had  been  desirous  to  maintain. 
"  Please  wait  a  moment,  Miss  Ivison,"  she  said 
with  unconcealed  anxiety.  A  dread  of  the  small 
despot  above  stairs  was  upon  her.  "  I  can't  believe 
it  is  quite  impossible  for  your  sister  to  oblige  me. 
Is  her  school  full  so  soon  ?  " 

"  She  has  had  quite  unexpected  success,"  re 
turned  Josephine.  "  In  fact,  some  of  the  parents 
have  told  her  that  the  most  effectual  punishment 
they  can  give  their  children  is  to  keep  them  at 
home  for  a  day." 

Miss   Norman  recalled   the   games,  music,  and 


JOSEPHINE'S  TRIUMPH.  59 

laughter,  and  the  silent,  longing  figure,  so  long 
barred  in  and  now  barred  out.  She  had  no  bribe 
to  offer  this  self-sufficient  and  self-possessed  young 
woman.  The  day  when  her  patronage  would  have 
been  of  service  had  passed. 

"  I  wish,"  she  said  in  a  tone  which  edified  the 
shameless  and  appreciative  listener  in  the  next 
room,  "  that  you  would  persuade  your  sister  to  con 
sider  again,  and  see  if  she  cannot  receive  Dickie. 
Dr.  Latimer  has  been  here  this  evening,  —  he  went 
out  just  before  you  came  in ;  I  think  you  must 
have  met  him,  —  and  when  I  told  him  I  meant  to 
send  my  child  to  your  sister  he  did  not  hint  a 
doubt  but  that  there  would  be  room  for  him." 

Josephine  smiled  upon  her  hostess  with  unmoved 
graciousiiess.  "  Since  you  desire  it  so  much,  Miss 
Norman,  it  is  a  pity  you  did  not  send  the  little  boy 
some  time  ago.  As  it  is,  I  will  speak  to  my  sister, 
if  you  like,  and  she  will  put  your  name  down  as  an 
applicant  for  the  first  vacancy.  Will  that  do  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  won't  do,  really,  Miss  Ivison,  but  if  af 
ter  you  talk  with  your  sister  you  find  she  cannot  do 
any  better,  of  course  I  shall  have  to  put  up  with  it." 

Miss  Norman's  troubled  anxiety  of  manner  failed 
to  move  the  imperturbable  calm  with  which  her 
visitor  took  her  leave,  and  when  the  house  door 
closed  behind  her  the  troubled  lady  even  forgot  to 
be  offended  with  Olin,  who  immediately  appeared 
from  his  place  of  concealment. 

"Why  did  n't  you  introduce  me?"  he  demanded 
with  his  usual  nonchalance. 


60  DE.  LATIMEE. 

"  Introduce  you  ?  "  repeated  liis  aunt,  looking  up 
and  becoming  conscious  of  him.  "  I  never  thought 
of  such  a  thing.  Have  you  been  in  there  all  this 
time?" 

"  Of  course.  I  stood  on  one  foot  and  then  on 
the  other  until  that  would  n't  do  any  longer,  then  I 
retreated." 

"  Then  you  heard  what  Miss  Ivison  said,"  re 
marked  Miss  Charlotte  disconsolately. 

"  I  heard  what  you  both  said." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  returned  the  other,  with 
no  suspicion  of  his  amusement.  "  What  shall  I  do 
with  Dickie !  I  am  so  glad  you  are  coming  back 
here  to  spend  the  night.  You  will  talk  to  him  in 
the  morning,  won't  you,  Olin  ?  You  see,  I  prom 
ised  him  he  should  go  to  school,  never  dreaming 
of  any  obstacle.  You  talk  to  him  and  tell  him  it 
is  only  put  off  —  that  he  shall  go  soon  —  and  per 
suade  him  to  be  patient.  He  will  take  it  better 
from  you  than  from  me." 

Poor  Miss  Charlotte  !  Conscience  makes  cow 
ards  of  us  all. 

Meanwhile,  Josephine  had  picked  her  triumphant 
way  across  the  street  and  ascended  the  stairs. 

Outside  the  door  she  paused,  for  she  heard  a 
man's  voice.  Entering  the  little  sitting-room,  her 
eyes  dancing  with  light  and  her  cheeks  pinkly 
flushed,  she  was  welcomed  by  Helen  in  a  tone  of 
satisfaction :  — 

"  Here  is  my  sister,  Dr.  Latimer." 

The  visitor  rose  from  the  easy-chair  in  the  corner, 


JOSEPHINE'S  TEIUMPU.  61 

and  Josephine  saw  for  the  first  time  her  sister's 
much-quoted  friend. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  he  said,  with  a  steady 
look  into  the  girl's  eyes ;  and  Josephine  discovered 
that  the  commonplace  phrase  has  a  meaning. 
"  Miss  Helen  tells  me  you  have  been  calling  on 
Miss  Norman,"  he  added,  as  he  resumed  his  seat. 
"  We  passed  one  another  on  the  road,  evidently." 

"  Yes,  I  have  just  come  from  there,"  answered 
the  girl,  removing  her  jacket  and  hat. 

"And  did  you  make  an  arrangement  for  the 
little  boy?" 

"  That  was  impossible,  Dr.  Latimer ;  Helen  has 
no  room  for  him." 

"  Indeed  !  "  said  the  doctor,  turning  his  radiant 
glance  upon  Helen,  who  was  suddenly  looking  un 
accountably  anxious.  "  I  congratulate  you,  Miss 
Helen,  although  I  am  sorry  for  Dickie." 

"  I  want  to  thank  you,  Dr.  Latimer,"  Josephine 
hastened  to  say  in  her  low  clear  voice.  "  I  have 
had  no  opportunity  before  to  thank  you  for  the  in 
valuable  aid  you  have  given  us." 

"  The  true  explanation  of  Miss  Helen's  success," 
answered  the  visitor,  "  is  that  you  came  here  and 
made  your  venture  at  the  right  moment."  The 
speaker's  thoughtful,  gentle  speech  was  not  sooth 
ing,  rather  exciting,  to  Josephine,  who  hurried  on. 

"  I  happen  always  to  have  heard  of  you  as  help 
ing  people  out  of  quandaries,"  she  said,  "  and  I 
have  had  designs  upon  some  of  your  time  myself. 
I  wanted  to  talk  to  you  about  Vernon." 


62  DR.  LATIMEE. 

Dr.  Latimer  looked  around  at  the  young  girl, 
who  was  sitting  demurely  on  the  other  side  of  the 
table,  and  gave  her  a  smile,  which  Josephine  in 
stantly  envied  her.  "  I  felt  that  she  should  be 
studying,  yet  I  did  n't  feel  capable  of  guiding  her. 
Now,  however,  she  seems  to  fit  in  so  well  as  an 
assistant  to  Helen  that  I  don't  know  but  that  she 
may  as  well  become  a  kindergartner,  too." 

Dr.  Latimer  nodded.  "  It  is  a  noble  work,"  he 
replied,  and  Josephine  suddenly  detested  the  teach 
ing  of  drawing  and  longed  to  join  Helen's  goodly 
company. 

Vernon  said  nothing,  and  only  looked  with  large, 
docile  eyes  from  her  sister  to  their  visitor  and  back 
again. 

"  I  dare  say  it  will  come  to  that,"  said  Josephine, 
"  and  meanwhile  Vernon  has  her  German  with  us 
all.  Mr.  Bruch  is  so  kind.  He  insists  that  one 
evening  a  week  with  us  will  be  a  pleasure  to  him, 
and  so  we  have  the  benefit  of  lessons." 

"  Mr.  Bruch  is  the  man  with  the  two  watches," 
returned  Dr.  Latimer,  after  the  moment  of  silence 
which  his  interlocutors  always  accorded  him. 
"  There  is  a  good  deal  of  poetry  and  pathos  in 
those  two  watches." 

"  There  is,"  replied  Josephine,  for  the  visitor 
looked  at  her  now. 

They  had  some  talk  about  Germans,  especially 
Froebel,  and  then  Dr.  Latimer  shook  hands  with 
them  all  and  went  away. 

When  he  had  left,  the  three  girls  looked  at  each 


JOSEPHINE'S   TRIUMPH.  63 

other.     Vernon  stretched  her  arms  as  though  after 

O 

unwonted  restraint. 

"  After  Dr.  Latimer  has  gone  I  always  feel  like 
talking  loud  and  telling  lies,"  she  remarked  sen- 
tentiously. 

Josephine  regarded  her,  her  face  wearing  an  ex 
cited,  uneasy  expression.  "  I  feel  as  though  I  had 
talked  loud  and  had  told  lies,"  she  said  curtly. 

"How  could  you?  "  asked  Helen,  who  had  been 
gazing  wistfully  at  her  brilliantly  flushed  elder 
sister  ever  since  the  closing  of  the  door. 

"  I  did  not,"  returned  Josephine,  with  stout  con 
tradiction.  "  I  told  Miss  Norman  you  had  no 
room  for  her  nephew,  and  you  have  n't,  have  you  ?  " 

"  I  thought  I  had." 

"  Then  you  have  no  proper  spirit.  Oh,  girls, 
it  was  such  fun,"  she  went  on,  with  blank  discon- 
solateness  ;  "  it  was  when  I  was  doing  it,  I  mean. 
Miss  Norman  began  on  the  very  top  round  of  the 
ladder,  and  I  made  her  come  down  one  step  at  a 
time,  until  at  the  bottom  she  pleaded  with  me 
meekly,  and  I  condescendingly  told  her  we  would 
put  down  her  name  for  the  first  vacancy." 

"  That  must  have  been  fun,"  exclaimed  Vernon 
with  relish. 

"  It  was  until  I  got  here  and  that  —  man  looked 
-  into  me  !  What  sort  of  eyes  are  those,  Helen  ? 
What  do  you  mean  by  making  such  a  friend  as 
that,  you  unnatural  sister  ?  "  Josephine  seized  the 
girl  and  gave  her  a  little  shake.  Then  she  turned 
to  Vernon.  "  Helen  is  his  sort,"  she  sighed ;  "  Dr. 


64  DR.  LATIMER. 

Latimer  can  spy  about  her  soul  with  his  blue  lan 
terns  all  he  likes,  but  you  and  I,  Vernon,  —  the 
best  thing  we  can  do  when  he  comes  is  to  be  as 
hypocritical  as  we  may." 

The  speaker  passed  an  arm  about  her  young 
sister,  who  responded  to  the  unusual  caress  in 
pleased  surprise.  To  be  accepted  as  an  equal  with 
Josephine,  even  in  sin,  was  an  honor  which  caused 
her  some  elation. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A   THEATRE   PARTY. 

TUESDAY  evening  of  the  following  week  had 
been  set  as  the  occasion  of  what  Vernon  termed  a 
Dutch  treat,  she  considering  the  title  attractively 
appropriate  inasmuch  as  Mr.  Bruch  had  suggested 
the  theatre  party.  Josephine  had  fallen  in  with 
the  plan  on  condition  that  the  expense  be  divided 
after  the  manner  sometimes  designated  in  Vernon's 
phraseology,  so  when  the  evening  came  it  proved  a 
treat  indeed  for  the  sisters  to  find  themselves  in 
the  electric  light  of  the  theatre  with  their  happy, 
attentive  escort. 

All  four  were  enjoying  the  rare  experience  to 
the  utmost,  when  in  the  midst  of  the  second  act  of 
the  play  they  were  discovered  by  Oliii  Randolph, 
who  had  wandered  into  the  theatre  late  and  was 
now  standing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house. 
He  first  recognized  Josephine  with  a  sentiment  of 
interest,  then  Bruch,  who  was  seated  between  her 
and  another  girl,  on  whose  other  side  a  third  young 
girl  was  sitting. 

Olin  examined  them  attentively.  "  The  black- 
haired  one,  the  brown-haired  one,  and  the  blonde 
with  the  turn-up  nose  who  needs  a  controlling 


66  DE.  LATIMEE. 

hand,"  he  reflected,  and  studied  them  for  some 
time  with  a  sort  of  critical  curiosity.  Once  his 
Aunt  Charlotte's  aversions,  now  her  despair,  they 
looked  so  happy  they  could  not  fail  to  be  attrac 
tive  had  they  not  possessed  one  claim  to  beauty. 

As  the  curtain  went  down  and  Olin  observed 
Bruch  eagerly  gazing  through  his  spectacles  from 
one  to  the  other  of  his  companions  and  chatting 
with  a  volubility  apparently  assisted  by  the  curves 
and  sweeps  accomplished  by  the  programme  held 
in  his  hand,  it  occurred  to  Mr.  Randolph  that  a 
foreigner  should  not  be  permitted  to  monopolize 
three  domestic  graces  such  as  these.  Moreover, 
by  a  happy  accident,  there  was  an  empty  seat 
beside  the  blonde,  whose  piquant  nose  deserved  no 
such  epithet  as  Miss  Norman's. 

Olin  frowned  a  little  as  he  took  a  last  scrutiny 
of  the  trio  to  make  certain  that  his  undertaking 
would  not  be  misplaced  effort,  and  then,  counting 
on  Bruch's  well-known  good  nature,  strolled  around 
the  house  to  a  spot  where  the  restless  spectacles 
could  easily  recognize  him. 

That  occurred  upon  which  he  had  counted.  Mr. 
Bruch  caught  sight  of  him  and  bowed  genially. 
Olin  returned  the  bow  with  sufficient  empresse- 
ment  to  lead  on  the  kind  German,  who  was  accus 
tomed  to  his  usual  coldly  polite  manner.  Bruch, 
seeing  him  alone  and  standing,  recalled  the  fact  of 
the  empty  seat  beside  Yernon,  whose  rather  lonely 
estate  he  had  been  secretly  and  vaguely  deploring, 
and  motioned  with  his  head  to  his  pupil. 


A   THEATRE  PARTY,  67 

"It  is  my  good  friend  Mr.  Randolph,"  he  ex 
plained  to  the  girls,  as  Olin  drew  near  in  response 
to  the  gesture,  yet  slowly,  as  though  he  deprecated 
intruding  upon  Bruch's  companions. 

"  Good-evening,  Mr.  Randolph,"  as  the  latter 
finally  stood  near.  "  I  present  you  to  the  three 
Miss  Ivisons.  Mr.  Randolph  is  one  of  my  pupils," 
he  added,  addressing  Josephine,  who  recognized  at 
once  the  man  she  had  met  in  her  neighbor's  hall, 
but  showed  no  sign  as  she  acknowledged  his  greet 
ing. 

"  Is  the  play  going  well  ?  I  have  but  just  come 
in  and  I  have  n't  even  a  seat." 

"  There  is  one  right  there,"  responded  the  Ger 
man,  indicating  the  empty  chair. 

"  Is  it  really  vacant  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  no  one  claims  it  yet.  It  is  for  you, 
I  am  sure." 

Thus  encouraged,  and  sped  with  many  genial 
nods  from  his  teacher,  Olin,  after  lingering  for  a 
few  generalities,  ascended  the  aisle  and  coming 
down  through  the  next  one  took  the  seat  beside 
Vernon,  who  was  conscious  that  this  was  an  added 
pleasure  to  the  evening's  festivities.  This  person 
able  stranger  enhanced  the  appearance  of  their 
party  and  she  would  not  have  to  talk  to  him  much, 
since  the  play  would  naturally  absorb  them  all. 

"  I  have  heard  of  you  often  from  Mr.  Bruch," 
said  the  newcomer,  as  he  received  a  direct  inquir 
ing  glance  from  his  neighbors'  eyes,  deciding  men 
tally  that  their  eyes  were  the  strong  point  of  the 


68  DE.  LATIMEB. 

three  graces.  "  I  believe  you  live  out  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Kearsarge  Avenue.  I  am  very  familiar 
with  the  locality." 

"  Are  you  ?  It  is  pleasant ;  is  n't  it  ?  "  responded 
,Vernon,  swelling  within  with  a  sudden  conscious 
ness  of  young  ladyhood  in  her  totally  novel  posi 
tion,  and  feeling  at  Randolph's  first  word  and 
glance  a  new  sense  of  power  and  a  triumphant 
conviction  that  she  was  now  tasting  the  sweets  of 
"  society."  "  We  live  right  across  the  street  from 
the  famous  Miss  Norman,"  she  went  on,  and  added, 
in  a  lower  tone,  "  and  the  infamous  Miss  Norman, 
too." 

Olin  looked  at  her  with  an  expression  which 
caused  her  to  smile  mischievously.  "  That  is  only 
a  little  joke  for  my  own  private  amusement,"  she 
explained.  "  You  could  n't  understand  it." 

"  Perhaps  I  might,"  drawled  Olin,  with  a  slight 
exaggeration  of  his  usual  manner  of  speech,  "  for 
Miss  Norman  is  my  aunt." 

Vernon  caught  her  breath  in  horror,  and  wished 
she  had  never  entered  society.  She  turned  her 
scarlet  face  toward  him. 

"  You  will  have  to  excuse  me,"  she  said,  with 
blunt  desperation,  " for  how  could  I  know? " 

Here  the  curtain  went  up  on  the  third  act,  and 
she  bestowed  her  attention  rigidly  upon  the  stage. 

Mr.  Randolph,  being  obliged  to  look  past  her  to 
the  actors,  was  enabled  to  amuse  himself  undetected 
by  watching  her  instead,  and  elicited  considerable 
entertainment  from  the  signs  of  agitation  in  the 


A   THEATRE  PAETY.  69 

transparent  young  face  until  it  occurred  to  him 
that  it  was  a  pity  her  pleasure  should  be  clouded. 

44  You  are  thinking  about  me  instead  of  the 
hero,"  he  said  at  last,  quite  close  to  her  ear. 

Vernon  had  thought  she  was  red  before,  but 
now  her  face  flamed. 

"  It  is  n't  fair,"  Randolph  went  on.  "  He  is 
wounded  and  I  am  not." 

"  Are  n't  you,  truly  ?  "  The  girl  looked  around 
at  him,  incredulously  and  searchingly. 

"  Upon  my  honor." 

Josephine  turned  her  head  and  saw  her  sister's 
heightened  color,  and  that  she  was  talking  with 
her  companion.  She  gave  an  inquiring  and  dis 
pleased  glance  at  Helen,  who  laid  a  gentle  warning 
hand  on  Vernon's  knee. 

Nothing  more  was  said  until  the  curtain  went 
down,  and  then  Vernon  turned  to  her  neighbor 
with  a  smile  and  sigh  which  proved  that  of  late  her 
thoughts  had  been  engrossed  in  the  progress  of  the 
play. 

She  found  him  looking  at  her  with  a  musing, 
critical  expression  which  recalled  to  her  her  blun 
der. 

"  Is  n't  it  interesting?  "  she  said  hurriedly. 

44  Yes,  it  is  a  good  play,"  he  replied  absently. 
"  I  have  been  occupying  myself,  however,  in  put 
ting  two  and  two  together." 

44  Has  it  taken  you  all  this  time  ? "  asked  Ver 
non,  sufficiently  embarrassed  to  take  refuge  in  her 
native  sauciness,  despite  a  bringing-up  which  in* 


70  DR.  LATIMER. 

culcated  respect  to  her  elders.  "  My  sister  has  a 
school.  Perhaps  you  might  enter  that." 

"  Oh,  she  won't  take  any  of  my  family,"  re 
sponded  Olin. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  asked  the  girl,  and 
halted  abruptly,  for  she  suddenly  comprehended. 

"Yes,"  went  on  her  companion.  "I  was  won 
dering  if  it  was  because  you  had  found  my  Aunt 
Charlotte  —  well,  we  will  say  not  so  famous  as 
Aunt  Agnes,  that  Miss  Ivison  the  First  refused  to 
receive  my  cousin  into  Miss  Ivison  the  Second's 
school,  where,  as  I  understand  it,  Dickie  is  espe-. 
cially  desirous  of  playing  games  with  Miss  Ivison 
the  Third." 

"  Well,"  said  Vernon  rather  defiantly,  "  I  don't 
see  why  the  problem  has  anything  to  do  with  you." 

"  Ah,  Miss  Ivison,  in  real  life  one  does  n't  flaunt 
all  one's  secret  sorrows  before  a  cold  world.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  I  have  the  right  that  suffering  gives 
to  inquire  into  this  matter,  for  I  am  at  present 
bearing  upon  my  person  two  black  and  blue  spots 
implanted  during  my  cousin's  transports  on  being 
informed  that  he  was  refused  admittance  to  your 
paradise." 

"  Poor  little  Dickie,"  said  Yernon,  remembering 
the  familiar,  wistful  face. 

"  Poor  little  Dickie  !     Well,  I  like  that." 

"  If  Helen  knew  it,"  said  the  girl,  turning  and 
speaking  low  and  confidentially,  "  she  would  have 
him  to-morrow." 

"And  Helen  is?  "  — asked  Randolph. 


A  THEATRE  PAETY.  71 

"  Miss  Ivison  number  two." 

"  Then  let  us  tell  her  at  once,"  and  Olin  leaned 
forward  as  though  to  put  his  suggestion  into  oper 
ation. 

"  No,  no,"  said  Vernon  quickly,  "  you  must  n't. 
Josephine  might  not  like  it." 

"  And  Josephine  is  ?  "  — 

The  girl  laughed.  "  My  oldest  sister ;  and  let  me 
advise  you  not  to  speak  her  name  so  distinctly." 

"  Thank  you.  I  do  not  court  annihilation,  and 
I  imagine  from  your  tone  " 

Vernon  nodded  significantly.  "  Your  imagina 
tion  is  none  too  vivid." 

"  Well,  about  Dickie,"  said  Mr.  Randolph.  "  I 
should  be  pleased  to  hear  that  it  would  be  safe  for 
me  to  visit  my  aunts  again." 

"We  will  talk  it  over.  It  is  a  pity,"  added  Ver- 
noii  with  much  dignity,  "  that  the  innocent  should 
suffer  for  the  guilty." 

"Thank  you  for  your  sympathy." 

"  I  don't  mean  you  at  all.     I  mean  Dickie." 

"  Oh,  I  am  afraid  the  Ivison  heart  is  a  hard  one." 

"  Mine  is,  I  am  glad  to  say,"  remarked  Vernon, 
"  but  you  ought  to  know  Helen.  You  would  n't 
wonder  that  I  have  to  keep  mine  good  and  hard. 
There  goes  the  curtain.  Now,  if  this  does  n't  come 
out  right  for  that  dear,  deceived  woman  "  — 

"  Why,  you  will  be  glad  of  your  marble  heart, 
of  course.  It  is  we  ordinary  mortals  who  will 
have  to  suffer." 

After  this  it  was  rather  hard  for  Vernon  not  to 


72  DR.  LATIMEE. 

be  able  to  restrain  a  couple  of  large  tears  which 
would  overflow  at  the  climax  of  the  last  act,  and  it 
was  small  comfort  to  her  that  there  was  a  general 
blowing  of  noses  throughout  the  house,  for  instead 
of  tears  a  smile  was  at  the  corners  of  her  com 
panion's  lips  when  she  stealthily  turned  her  head. 
His  eyes,  however,  were  riveted  on  the  stage.  Per 
haps  he  had  not  observed  her. 

Vernon  wondered,  after  the  play  was  over, 
whether  he  would  insist  upon  helping  Mr.  Bruch 
to  escort  them  home ;  but  he  did  not.  When, 
slowly  moving,  the  party  had  reached  the  door, 
Randolph  lifted  his  hat  and  thanked  the  German 
for  the  unexpected  pleasure  of  his  evening ;  then, 
with  a  good-night  to  the  three  girls,  went  his  way. 

"  Has  n't  it  been  lovely  !  "  exclaimed  Vernon,  as 
soon  as  they  were  at  home  again  and  alone. 

Josephine  looked  thoughtful.  "  Do  you  know 
who  that  Mr.  Randolph  was,  Vernon?  "  she  asked. 

"  No.     Is  he  anybody  in  particular  ?  " 

"  I  met  him  at  Miss  Norman's  the  other  night, 
and  Mr.  Bruch  tells  me  he  is  her  nephew." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  found  that  out,"  replied  Vernon, 
"  after  I  had  told  him  that  his  aunt  was  infamous." 

"  Vernon  Ivison  !  "  ejaculated  Helen. 

"  Well,"  said  the  youngest,  in  an  injured  tone 
and  with  a  frank  gesture,  "  how  was  I  to  know  he 
was  anything  to  her  ?  " 

Helen  regarded  her  reproachfully.  "  You  could 
hardly  have  expected  him  to  say  'Good-evening, 
Miss  Ivison ;  I  am  Miss  Norman's  nephew/  when 


A   THEATRE  PARTY.  73 

he  was  first  introduced,  could  you  ?  I  should  think 
you  were  old  enough  to  begin  to  learn  some  cau 
tion." 

Vernon  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  Helen  is  sen 
sitive  on  the  subject  of  the  Normans,"  she  re 
marked. 

"It  is  time  one  of  us  was,  I  think,"  retorted 
Helen  with  unusual  spirit. 

"  Don't  worry,"  put  in  Josephine,  who  was  evi 
dently  following  some  train  of  thought  of  her  own. 
"  Girls,  Miss  Norman  criticised  us  very  plainly  for 
living  here  by  ourselves.  I  shall  not  forget  that 
easily.  I  know  our  position ;  I  feel  it.  It  was 
stupidly  cruel  of  her  to  suppose  otherwise." 

"  Dear  Jo,"  cried  Helen,  much  troubled  by  the 
fire  burning  in  the  dark  eyes,  "why  should  you 
feel  it  more  than  we  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  the  oldest  and  have  taken  the 
responsibility  of  deciding  upon  our  movements. 
This  man  Mr.  Randolph  has,  I  am  sure,  heard  us 
discussed.  When  I  called  there  the  other  evening 
he  went  into  an  adjoining  room,  I  am  confident  of 
it,  to  gratify  his  curiosity  by  hearing  me  talk.  To 
night  we  have  gone  unchaperoned  as  we  always 
are  —  must  be  if  we  take  any  outing  at  all  —  to 
the  theatre  with  Mr.  Bruch." 

"  For  pity's  sake,  Josephine,"  put  in  Vernon, 
rather  timidly,  "  you  are  n't  going  to  say  that  was 
improper,  —  an  elderly  gentleman  in  spectacles  like 
Mr.  Bruch?" 

"  Mr.  Bruch  is  a  widower  of  about  thirty-two,* 


74  DR.  LATIMER. 

returned  Josephine  unmoved.  "He  is  a  young 
man.  We  went  witli  him.  There  are  many  modi 
fying  circumstances  in  the  case,  but  we  went  with 
him.  Mr.  Randolph  came  into  the  theatre  and  es 
pied  us.  He  turned  those  cold,  curious  eyes  upon 
us  and  stared.  I  saw  him.  He  said  to  himself : 
4  There  are  those  three  common  girls  my  aunt  talks 
about,  and  they  're  with  Bruch.  I  wonder  what 
they  are  like.'  Then  he  observed  the  empty  seat 
by  Vernon,  and  knew  the  opportunity  to  find  out 
had  come. 

"  He  strolled  around  the  theatre  and  laid  a  trap 
for  Mr.  Bruch,  who  fell  into  it  like  the  great,  good- 
natured,  unsuspicious  child  he  is." 

"  Well,  you  are  not  an  unsuspicious  child,"  re 
marked  Helen,  as  she  paused. 

"  He  then  proceeded  to  examine  our  youngest  at 
his  leisure,"  pursued  Josephine  relentlessly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Helen,  "  he  got  the  kitten  and  she 
scratched  him  the  first  thing.  Surely  that  ought 
to  solace  you  a  little,  Josephine." 

"  If  he  had  been  such  a  plotter  as  you  make  out," 
added  Vernon,  "  he  would  have  come  home  with  us." 

"  Oh !    he  did  n't  wish  to  trouble  himself  at  all." 

"  Now  Josephine,"  said  Helen,  "  you  know  that 


is  ungenerous." 


"  Well,"  admitted  the  eldest,  "  that  was  the  one 
nice  thing  he  did." 

"Miss  Norman  did  do  us  a  real  if  temporary 
injury,"  said  Helen  seriously,  "if  her  remarks 
wounded  you,  Jo,  enough  to  make  you  cynical  and 


A  THEATEE  PARTY.  75 

sensitive.  You  must  n't  let  yourself  sink  into  that, 
dear.  We  thought  we  were  doing  right  when  we 
came  here,  so  we  are  innocent,  and  superior  to  un 
kind  remarks  in  any  case  ;  but  Dr.  Latimer  thinks 
we  are  doing  right,"  she  finished  with  triumphant 
emphasis. 

"  Does  he?  "  asked  Josephine  eagerly  and  wist 
fully.  "  Has  he  said  so  ?  " 

"  Decidedly." 

"  Why,  then,"  said  Josephine  thoughtfully,  and 
with  long  pauses,  "  I  can  —  bear  it." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MR.   BRUCH'S   DINNER. 

THE  following  evening  Mr.  Bruch  had  been  in 
vited  to  dine  with  the  girls.  Josephine  and  Helen 
combined  their  forces  to  cook  the  dinner,  for  as 
yet  no  servant  had  been  added  to  the  little  domi 
cile,  and  Yernon  made  the  most  of  their  slender 
resources  to  set  an  attractive  table.  Josephine 
praised  her  when  she  came  in  from  the  kitchen 
and  sat  down  to  cool  her  heated  face  and  admire 
the  effect  of  the  festive  board. 

"  Poor  man,  I  know  he  will  enjoy  it  so  much," 
she  said,  in  the  sympathetic  tone  which  she  usually 
employed  in  speaking  of  the  expected  guest. 

"  I  suppose  he  is  learning  American  food  by  this 
time  as  he  has  learned  the  language,"  remarked 
Vernon.  "  Do  you  remember  that  evening  when 
he  tried  so  hard  to  tell  us  what  queer  dish  he  had 
had  at  the  boarding-house  ?  Don't  you  know  he 
grew  so  excited  and  mixed  in  so  many  German 
words  and  we  tried  so  hard  to  understand  him? 
I  remember  we  decided  from  his  gestures  and  de« 
scription  that  it  must  be  some  kind  of  floating' 
island,  and  then  it  turned  out  to  be  biscuit !  " 

"Yes,"  laughed  Josephine,  "but  we  have  one 


ME.  BEUC1PS  DIN  NEE.  77 

tiling  to-night  I  am  pretty  sure  he  will  like,  and 
that  is  soup.  I  am  sure  we  have  taken  pains 
enough  with  it,  and  I  do  trust  we  have  put  the 
right  amount  of  salt  4  between  '  it." 

Mr.  Bruch  did  like  the  soup.  The  girls  were 
repaid  by  the  entranced  gaze  he  sent  ceilingward 
when  he  had  tasted  the  first  spoonful.  "  It  is  a 
dream  !  "  he  declared  with  fervor.  "  And  you  did 
this  ?  "  he  incjuired,  directing  his  spectacles  at  Ver- 
non  rapturously. 

"  No,  no,"  she  disclaimed,  shaking  her  head. 

"  We  all  did  it,"  said  Josephine,  "  and  we  all 
claim  the  credit." 

"  We  have  soup  some  days  at  the  pension  "  (Mr. 
Bruch  gave  the  French  word  a  purely  American 
pronunciation,  and  was  persuaded  that  in  so  doing 
he  used  the  local  designation  for  a  boarding-house), 
"  but  it  has  no  "  —  a  disparaging  gesture  —  "  no 
little  things  between  it,  and,  however,  it  is  not 
bouillon.  I  am  not  realla  satisfied  with  that  house. 
I  have  a  room  now  on  the  first  floor  and  it  is  not  a 
safe  place.  Burglars  could  enter  with  the  greatest 
ease." 

"  You  ought  to  have  a  pistol,"  suggested  Jose 
phine. 

"  A  pistol  is  unsafe,  too,"  responded  the  profes 
sor,  when  Josephine  had  easily  overcome  his  scru 
ples  to  taking  a  second  plate  of  soup.  "  For  myself, 
I  have  a  hatchet  and  I  put  what  they  call  the  chain 
bolt  on  my  door,  which  allows  it  to  open  a  few 
inches." 


78  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  But  what  would  you  do  with  the  hatchet,"  asked 
Vernon,  "  if  you  should  hear  burglars  ?  " 

The  German  looked  up  cheerfully.  "  I  would 
pick  at  them  through  the  door,"  he  responded 
with  much  satisfaction,  gesturing  appropriately 
with  his  spoon. 

The  picture  was  too  much  for  Vernon.  She 
choked  on  the  last  drop  of  the  soup  which  she  had 
been  politely  husbanding  in  order  that  the  pro 
fessor's  gastric  region  might  become  sufficiently 
warm. 

"Vernon,  we  will  let  you  be  waitress  for  this 
course,"  said  Helen,  coming  to  the  rescue.  "  Then 
I  will  clear  the  table  next  time.  We  will  preserve 
an  appearance  of  propriety  by  allowing  Josephine 
to  sit  still  throughout  the  dinner." 

Mr.  Bruch  looked  after  the  retreating  tureen 
rather  pensively.  It  had  not  been  emptied.  But 
his  spirits  rose  when  Vernon  bore  in  the  platter  of 
roast  beef. 

"  We  are  going  to  give  you  some  real  Yankee 
food  for  one  vegetable,"  said  Helen  as  a  round 
baking-dish  was  set  before  her. 

The  professor  regarded  and  recognized  the  steam 
ing,  appetizing,  rich-brown  contents. 

"  Oh,  I  know  beans,"  he  announced  genially, 
and  Vernon  withdrew  again  hastily  to  the  kitchen 
and  did  not  at  once  return. 

"  Vernon,  where  is  the  gravy  ? "  called  Jose 
phine  warningly,  when  she  considered  that  the 
youngest  had  giggled  long  enough,  upon  which, 


MR.    BEUCITS  DINNER.  79 

after  a  slight  delay,  the  girl  reappeared,  solemn 
and  rosy,  with  the  desired  delicacy  and  again  took 
her  seat  at  the  table. 

While  this  satisfactory  dinner  was  going  for 
ward,  one  was  being  partaken  of  across  the  street 
hi  quite  a  different  spirit.  As  a  rule  Miss  Norman 
was  careful  not  to  talk  of  depressing  subjects  at 
the  end  of  her  sister's  long  day ;  but  such  was  her 
harassment  to-night  that  she  could  not  refrain. 
Olin  was  present,  as  his  Aunt  Agnes  had  requested 
him  to  come  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  some 
desired  improvements  in  her  beloved  seaside  cot 
tage. 

Dinner  always  had  to  be  rather  a  late  meal  at 
the  Normans',  so  Dickie  was  safely  out  of  the  way 
and  his  long-suffering  aunt  could  recount  her  trials 
freely. 

"I  declare,  it  seems  as  though  my  whole  life 
were  reversed,"  she  said  mournfully,  "  since  this 
disappointment  has  come  to  that  child." 

"  Why  don't  you  try  reversing  Dickie  and  apply 
ing  your  slipper  ?  "  suggested  Olin. 

"  He  is  not  to  blame  at  all,"  answered  Miss  Nor 
man.  "  How  is  the  little  fellow  to  forget  when  the 
plays  and  songs  are  in  his  eyes  and  ears  every  day? 
I  am  sure  my  heart  aches  for  him,  and  I  consider 
those  young  women  very  unkind  and  disobliging 
indeed."  Miss  Norman  spoke  with  feeling,  for 
only  that  very  day  the  mother  of  two  of  Helen's 
pupils  had  been  speaking  to  Miss  Charlotte  in 
praise  of  the  gentle,  skillful  teacher  who  had 


80  DR.  LATIMEE. 

solved  the  problem  of  occupation  for  her  lively 
children. 

"  It  is  a  very  strange  condition  of  things,  I 
think,"  remarked  Agnes.  "  Why  does  n't  Miss 
Ivison  enlarge  her  borders  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  she  can't,"  answered  her  sister  dis 
mally. 

Mr.  Randolph  smiled  at  his  own  thoughts.  "  I 
will  tell  you  what  you  can  do,  Aunt  Charlotte. 
Offer  to  make  a  business  arrangement  with  the 
teacher  by  which  Dickie  shall  be  allowed  to  join  in 
the  outdoor  festivities  of  the  school." 

Miss  Norman  looked  up  hopefully  and  seemed 
to  gaze  quite  through  her  nephew. 

"Why  have  n't  I  thought  of  that  before?"  she 
demanded. 

Agnes  took  advantage  of  the  reverie  into  which 
^er  sister  fell  to  approach  the  subject  near  her 
heart. 

"You  see,  Olin,"  she  began  in  a  low  tone  in 
order  not  to  break  the  spell  which  had  given  her 
her  opportunity,  "  there  is  not  an  eligible  window 
in  the  Nautilus  from  which  we  can  see  the  White 
Mountains.  It  is  often  too  cool  at  sunset  to  be 
pleasant  to  sit  on  the  piazza.  I  want  to  throw  out 
a  bay-window  at  the  north  of  the  parlor  " 

"  I  believe  I  shall  go  over  there  this  very  even 
ing,"  said  Charlotte,  coming  back  to  her  surround 
ings,  and  unconscious  of  interrupting. 

"  I  would,"  replied  Agnes,  who  desired  nothing 
more  ardently  than  to  be  left  alone  with  her 


MR.    BEUCITS    DINNER.  81 

nephew.  "They  cannot  have  much  more  than 
finished  dinner,  and  you  would  be  sure  to  catch 
them." 

"  Won't  you  come  with  me,  Olin?  "  asked  Miss 
Norman.  "  I  don't  like  to  go  alone,  and  when 
Agnes  docs  get  an  evening  at  home  I  can't  bear  to 
disturb  it." 

"  Do  you  need  any  escort  ?"  asked  Agnes  sug 
gestively.  "  I  wanted  to  talk  to  Olin  about  the 
cottage.  I  want  to  tell  you  my  ideas,"  turning  to 
Randolph,  "  and  get  you  to  send  exact  instructions 
to  Saunders,  so  he  can  make  the  changes  before 
we  get  there." 

"  Oh,  it  won't  take  us  long,  Agnes,"  observed 
Miss  Norman.  "  I  don't  think  it  would  be  quite 
dignified  for  me  to  run  across  in  the  evening  alone, 
as  though  I  were  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  the 
Ivisons." 

Mr.  Randolph  smiled  again.  He  wondered  what 
Miss  Norman's  sensations  would  be  could  she  be 
informed  of  the  epithet  bestowed  upon  her  by  the 
young  person  in  need  of  a  controlling  hand.  He 
considered  that  it  would  be  the  part  of  wisdom 
to  inform  his  aunt  that  her  neighbors  were  not 
wholly  strangers  to  him. 

"  I  met  those  young  ladies  at  the  theatre  the 
other  evening." 

"  Did  you,  indeed  ?  I  wonder  if  one  of  the  par 
ents  took  them." 

"  He  is  a  parent,  yes.  It  was  the  German  teacher, 
Mr.  Bruch." 


82  DR.  LATU1EE. 

"  H'm,  yes,"  said  Miss  Norman  abstractedly.  It 
was  quite  characteristic  that  she  had  no  criticism 
to  offer  or  even  to  feel.  She  had  no  qualms  on 
the  subject  of  taking*  her  nephew  into  the  once-de 
spised  flat.  She  had  become  a  creature  of  one  idea, 
and  the  little  child  with  the  cropped  yellow  hair, 
asleep  upstairs,  represented  it. 

44  Come  on,  Olin,"  she  said  when  they  had  fin 
ished.  "  Let  us  get  it  over,  so  that  you  can  return 
to  Agnes." 

"  Yes,"  added  the  latter.  "  I  think  with  Char 
lotte's  mind  at  rest  we  can  make  more  headway." 

44  Oh,  it  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  use  that  tone 
Agnes ;  but  you  don't  live  with  Dickie  all  day." 

Miss  Norman  was  soon  bonneted  and  shawled, 
and  the  two  set  forth  for  that  home  where  at  last, 
all  prejudice,  obstacles,  and  pride  forgot,  Miss 
Charlotte  was  eager  to  set  her  foot. 

They  climbed  the  stairs,  seeing  their  way  by  the 
gas  lighted  in  the  hall  above,  and  a  sound  of  laugh 
ing  voices  in  the  front  room  ceased  suddenly  as 
Olin  knocked  at  the  door. 

The  girls  had  taken  their  guest  into  the  school 
room,  which  now  boasted  a  few  of  what  Vernon 
called  grown-up  chairs,  and  the  astonishment 
caused  in  the  group  by  the  apparition  of  Miss  Nor 
man  and  her  nephew  was  for  a  second  paralyzing. 
Fortunately  for  his  hostess,  Mr.  Bruch's  surprise 
was  pleasurable.  He  grasped  Randolph's  hand 
with  an  exclamation  warm  enough  to  break  the  ice, 
and  Helen  recovered  herself  first  and  welcomed 
Miss  Charlotte. 


MB.  BRUCH'S  DINNER.  83 

"You  have  met  one  of  my  sisters,"  she  said,  and 
Josephine  colored  violently,  suddenly  confronted 
with  the  memory  of  her  prevarication.  "  This  is 
my  youngest  sister,"  added  Helen,  and  Miss  Nor 
man  gazed  with  interest  at  Vernon,  who  certainly 
looked  as  though  she  needed  controlling  as  she  laid 
a  reluctant  hand  in  that  which  Miss  Norman  prof 
fered. 

"My  nephew,  ladies,"  said  the  latter,  after  she 
had  scrutinized  the  face  she  had  seen  so  often 
laughing  over  the  romps  in  the  yard.  "  Thank  you," 
this  to  Helen,  who  gave  her  a  chair  after  introdu 
cing  Mr.  Bruch.  "  I  have  called  to  interrupt  you 
a  moment.  I  was  unsuccessful  in  my  first  attempt 
to  make  a  business  arrangement  with  you,"  here 
the  speaker  paused  and  took  a  deliberate  survey 
of  the  number  of  little  chairs.  "I  should  think," 
she  broke  off  suddenly,  "  that  you  had  room  to  take 
more  children  here." 

Poor  Helen  hesitated  and  turned  red,  and  Jo 
sephine  tardily  repented  having  brought  her  to 
such  embarrassing  straits,  until  she  happened  to 
catch  Olin's  eye.  Its  expression  restored  her 
poise. 

"  I  do  hope  to  enlarge  the  school  after  a  while," 
replied  Helen  at  last,  faintly. 

"  So  do,"  said  Miss  Norman.  "  I  should  think 
you  would  do  it  at  once." 

Helen's  meek  eyes  sought  Josephine  helplessly. 

"  When  she  does  she  will  let  you  know,  I  am 
sure,  Miss  Norman,"  put  in  the  latter  sweetly. 


84  DR.  LATIMEE. 

Charlotte  regarded  her  and  then  looked  back  at 
Helen. 

"  Meanwhile,  Miss  Ivison,  I  wish  to  ask  you  to 
permit  Dickie  to  join  in  the  children's  plays,  under 
a  business  arrangement." 

Helen  nodded.  She  would  not  even  look  at  Jo 
sephine,  for  even  if  that  authority  demurred  she 
determined  at  once  to  accede  to  this  request. 

Vernon  had  repeated  a  part  of  her  conversation 
with  Randolph  at  the  theatre,  and  Josephine  had 
no  desire  to  interfere  further.  She  turned  de 
terminedly  from  listening  to  the  interview  and  ac 
costed  Olin,  who  was  seated  near  her. 

"  You  are  studying  with  Mr.  Bruch,  he  tells  me," 
she  remarked  coldly,  with  an  appearance  of  yield 
ing  to  the  necessity  for  conversation. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  young  man. 

"  You  knew  something  of  the  language  already," 
said  Josephine,  after  waiting  a  moment,  and  then 
regretted  having  admitted  that  they  had  talked 
about  him.  Even  in  her  busy  and  careful  life  she 
had  had  plenty  of  experience  in  admiring  glances 
and  deferential  behavior  from  the  other  sex.  The 
imperturbable  manner  and  reflective  gaze  with 
which  Randolph  replied  to  her  was  novel ;  his  lin 
gering  speech,  exasperating. 

"  I  picked  up  some  German  in  school,  of  course, 
but  when  I  went  over  there  the  year  after  I 
left  college  I  found  there  was  something  left  to 
desire  in  my  command  of  the  language.  I  stayed 
in  Berlin  several  weeks  and  found  it  convenient  to 


MB.  BRUC&S  DINNER.  85 

simplify  matters  by  flipping  up  every  morning  to 
see  whether  I  should  use  der,  die,  or  das  all  through 
the  day.  Are  you  studying  ?  " 

"  Yes.  We  enjoy  our  lessons  very  much."  Jo 
sephine  smiled  involuntarily  at  the  remembrance 
of  some  speech  of  the  earnest  teacher.  It  was  the 
first  time  the  visitor  had  seen  her  smile,  and  a  lit 
tle  light  of  gratification  succeeded  the  critical  scru 
tiny  of  his  eyes. 

"  Mr.  Bruch  pours  balm  upon  my  wounded 
feelings  at  times,"  he  returned,  glancing  at  the 
German,  who  was  conversing  volubly  with  Ver~ 
non.  "  He  asked  me,  the  other  evening,  to  trans 
late  'They  fell  against  the  enemy.' ' 

Josephine's  smile  grew.  "  Did  you  tell  him  he 
ought  to  have  said  '  upon '  instead  of  4  against '  ?  " 

"  Not  I.  Why  should  I  make  him  less  enter 
taining?" 

The  girl  shook  her  head  disapprovingly.  "  I  am 
hindered  from  correcting  him  by  the  dread  of  mak 
ing  him  feel  constrained  in  talking  to  us,  for  he 
has  so  little  social  life, "  she  said ;  "  but  you  could 
do  it,  and  you  ought  to  help  him." 

"  Oh,"  thoughtfully,  "  from  conscientious  mo 
tives  ?  " 

"  Why,  certainly.  I  often  think  I  am  scarcely 
honest  with  him  in  keeping  silence." 

"  Indeed  ?     Your  standard  of  honesty  is  high." 

The  look  of  amusement  with  which  Olin  said 
this  lighted  a  fire  of  resentment  in  Josephine's 
breast  which  sent  its  flame  into  her  cheeks. 


86  DR.  LATIMEH. 

"  Your  information  on  the  subject  was  gained  in 
the  most  honorable  manner,  I  suppose,"  she  said, 
looking  straight  into  his  eyes.  "  I  am  learning 
that  you  enjoy  being  entertained  at  any  cost,  Mr. 
Randolph." 

"If  you  look  at  me  in  that  way  any  longer, 
Miss  Ivison,  I  shall  call  for  help,"  returned  the 
latter  with  unmoved  calm. 

"  Are  n't  you  even  going  to  apologize  ?  "  asked 
Josephine,  biting  her  lip. 

He  regarded  her  questioningly.  "  Do  you  know 
we  are  having  a  very  odd  first  interview?  "  he  re 
turned  mildly. 

"  The  sort  to  make  neither  of  us  anxious  for  a 
second,  I  should  think,"  returned  the  girl  shortly. 

"  See  my  aunt,"  observed  Olin.  "  Your  sister 
has  evidently  treated  her  more  kindly  than  you 
have  me.  She  looks  very  happy." 

"My  sister  always  makes  people  happy,"  replied 
Josephine,  looking  over  at  Helen  and  wondering 
what  sort  of  compact  she  had  sealed. 

"  Then  I  will  call  on  her  next  time,"  said  Ran 
dolph. 

His  companion  surveyed  him  with  faint  aston 
ishment.  "  There  is  no  question  of  your  calling 
upon  us  at  all.  We  do  not  receive  visitors,  —  men, 
I  mean." 

Her  companion  appeared  to  be  surprised.  "  And 
Mr.  Bruch?" 

"  Is  our  teacher." 

"And  Dr.  Latimer?" 


MR.  BRUCH'S  DINNER.  87 

"  Oh,  do  you  know  Dr.  Latimer  ?  "  Josephine 
really  surprised  her  interlocutor  this  time  with  her 
entire  change  of  tone  and  expression.  She  even 
leaned  toward  him  a  little  in  a  manner  which 
would  have  tempted  him  to  claim  intimacy  with 
the  doctor  in  any  case. 

"I  can't  remember  a  time  when  I  have  not 
known  him,"  he  answered.  "  He  was  a  very  dear 
friend  of  my  father." 

"I  congratulate  you." 

"  My  father  has  been  dead  many  years,  and  the 
doctor  has  been  very  kind  to  me." 

"  And  so  he  has  been  to  us,  and  so  he  is  to 
everybody,  I  am  sure,"  replied  the  girl  earnestly. 
"  He  will  be  glad,"  looking  across  at  her  sister,  "  if 
Helen  takes  your  little  —  the  little  Norman  boy." 

"  Dickie's  name  is  Starbird.  Yes,  we  shall  all 
be  glad  to  find  that  you  are  not  implacable." 

"  I !  "  exclaimed  Josephine,  with  a  dignified  re 
treat  into  surprise. 

"  Why,  certainly.  Did  n't  you  just  say  Miss 
Helen  makes  every  one  happy?  " 

"  You  are  priding  yourself  unduly  on  your  pen 
etration,  Mr.  Randolph.  Let  me  remind  you  that 
you  know  little  of  the  subject  you  are  talking 
about." 

"  Nevertheless,  I  suppose  I  may  be  permitted  to 
Lope  meekly  that  joining  in  the  games  may  be  an 
sntering  wedge  for  Dickie.  Let  me  assure  you, 
Miss  Ivison,  that  my  Aunt  Charlotte  has  expiated 
a  long  list  of  crimes  in  the  last  two  weeks." 


88  DR.  LATIMER. 

Josephine  tried  to  look  severe,  but  some  embar 
rassing  reflection  was  evidently  troubling  her. 

"  Does  Dr.  Latimer,"  she  began,  hesitatingly, 
"  does  Dr.  Latimer  know  that  you  —  that  I  — 
have  you  ever  told  " 

She  looked  inquiringly  at  Olin,  who  waited, 
apparently  mystified. 

"  You  know  very  well  what  I  mean !  "  exclaimed 
the  girl  with  glib  annoyance. 

Randolph  looked  at  her  and  smiled  provokingly. 
"  No,  I  have  never  told  him." 

"  Of  course  you  would  n't  have  thought  it  worth 
while,"  she  remarked,  with  evident  relief,  "  and 
besides,"  with  rising  resentment,  "  you  would  not 
wish  to  tell  him  what  you  had  no  right  to  know. 
It  would  be  as  hard  for  you  as  for  me,  every  bit." 

Miss  Charlotte  now  rose,  evidently  overflowing 
with  satisfaction.  "  I  must  take  Mr.  Randolph 
away,"  she  said  smilingly  to  Josephine,  who  also 
rose  with  alacrity.  "  My  sister  had  an  engagement 
with  him  this  evening  to  talk  over  changes  in  our 
seashore  house.  Mr.  Randolph  is  an  architect, 
and  she  didn't  like  it  at  all  to  have  me  run  off 
with  him."  She  turned  back  to  Helen  ;  and  Olin, 
rising,  addressed  Josephine,  whose  cold  reception 
of  Miss  -Norman's  information  had  not  escaped 
him. 

"  Dr.  Latimer  has  a  house  near  my  aunt's  on 
this  island,  where  they  go  in  summer,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  has  he  ?  "  returned  the  girl,  interested  at 
once.  "  Is  it  a  pretty  place  ?  " 


MR.  BRUCH'S  DINNER.  89 

"  Very,"  replied  Randolph  promptly.  "  I  have 
some  pictures  of  it,  if  you  would  like  to  see  them. 
I  've  an  excellent  one  of  Dr.  Latimer's  house,"  he 
added,  as  she  hesitated. 

There  was  a  general  murmur  of  good-bys,  in 
which  Mr.  Bruch  also  made  his  grateful  farewell, 
and  Josephine  had  not  made  any  reply  to  Olin's 
suggestion  when  the  girls  found  themselves  alone. 

"  There  !  "  exclaimed  Vernon,  staring  at  her  sis 
ters  and  striking  a  tragic  attitude.  "  Did  you  ever 
know  such  luck  ?  I  wish  Mr.  Bruch  had  stayed  in 
Prussia  among  his  gehabt  haben  gewesen  seins, 
and  never  come  over  here." 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  Helen,  aston 
ished. 

"  Onions  I  "  ejaculated  Vernon  with  a  dramatic 
gesture.  "  Here'  has  our  house  been  filled  with 
the  odor  the  whole  afternoon  just  so  there  should 
be  plenty  of  seasoning  4  between '  his  old  soup, 
and  this  evening  of  all  evenings  Mr.  Randolph 
should  come  to  call  on  us  !  " 

"  He  did  not  come  to  call  upon  us,"  returned 
Josephine  with  a  princess-like  air. 

"  No,  he  came  to  bring  auntie,"  smiled  Helen. 

"  Never  mind,  he  came,"  said  Vernon  senten- 
tiously. 

"  He  came,  he  saw,"  began  Helen  gayly.  She 
was  quite  as  relieved  as  Miss  Norman  by  their 
interview. 

"  He  smelled  a  German  boarding-house,"  groaned 
Vernon. 


90  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  How  can  you  be  so  childish  as  to  care,"  asked 
Josephine  superbly,  "  so  long  as  Mr.  Bruch  was 
satisfied?  It  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  indiffer 
ence  to  us  what  Mr.  Randolph  thought  of  our 
surroundings . ' ' 

"  It  may  be  to  you,  but  it  is  n't  to  me,"  replied 
the  youngest  inconsolably.  "  Mr.  Randolph  is  so 
elegant  and  distinguished.  I  think  you  need  n't 
have  kept  him  all  to  yourself  if  you  didn't  like 
him.  I  tried  so  hard  to  hear  what  you  were 
saying,  but  I  couldn't  get  a  word.  Mr.  Bruch 
always  roars  so." 

"  I  should  have  been  very  glad  to  exchange  with 
you,"  responded  the  eldest  coldly. 

"  I  do  hope  Mr.  Randolph  will  never  cover  his 
mouth  and  teeth  with  a  mustache,"  remarked 
Vernon  reflectively.  "  A  handsome  man  without 
a  mustache  looks  as  distinguished  as  a  handsome 
girl  without  a  bang." 

"  He  will  probably  be  very  thankful  to  do  so 
when  he  can,"  said  Josephine  with  light  disdain. 

"  The  idea !  He  could  now.  Can't  you  tell 
that  by  looking  at  his  upper  lip  ?  A  man  who 
can  tell  a  lie  but  won't  is  superior  to  George 
Washington  ;  and  the  man  who  can  wear  a  mus 
tache  but  won't  has  the  same  sort  of  superiority. 
See  ?  Good-night.  I  'm  going  to  bed  to  forget 
that  we  ever  gave  Mr.  Bruch  a  dinner,"  and  Ver 
non  whirled  out  of  the  room. 

Josephine  regarded  Helen  with  a  whimsical  smile. 
"  I  presume  you  have  a  new  pupil,  my  dear." 


ME.  B RUCKS  DINNER.  91 

"How  could  I?"  asked  Helen  reproachfully. 
•"  Of  course  I  could  n't  betray  you  by  taking  the 
Korman  boy  into  the  school  right  off." 

"  You  are  letting  me  down  easy,  as  the  boys  say, 
that  is  a  good  little  sister.  But  Dickie  Norman's 
name  is  Richard  Starbird,  my  love.  Let  us  be 
correct  now  that  we  are  going  to  be  honest  hence 
forth." 

"  Is  it  ?  So  there  were  four  sisters  of  them," 
said  Helen  meditatively. 

"  Yes,  and  one  of  the  sisters  must  have  married 
a  very  superior  man,  for  he  was  a  dear  friend  of 
Dr.  Latimer's.  I  wonder,"  scornfully,  "  if  any  of 
the  superior  traits  are  going  to  develop  in  time  in 
the  son." 

"  Oh  !  are  you  talking  about  Mr.  Eandolph?  " 

"  Yes,  brown  bird.     Wake  up." 

"  I  can't,"  answered  Helen  yawning.  "  Dinner 
parties  are  4  tiring,'  as  Mr.  Bruch  would  say, 
when  one  has  to  be  cook  and  waitress  and  hostess, 
and  we  've  all  three  been  a  third  of  each.  Let 's 
go  to  bed." 


CHAPTER  VIH. 

THE   ISLAND   PHOTOGRAPHS. 

IT  was  not  long  afterward  that  Dr.  Latimer's 
housekeeper  mounted  the  stairs  to  the  flat,  on 
neighborly  kindness  bent.  Helen  was  busy  in  the 
school,  and  Yernon  heard  the  step  and  came  out 
to  see  who  the  newcomer  might  be. 

"  I  was  lighter  once,"  announced  Persis,  breath 
ing  rather  hard  and  looking  up  sharply  to  see  if  it 
was  Helen's  somewhat  familiar  face  above  her. 

"  The  stairs  are  rather  steep,"  said  Vernon. 

"  I  suppose  you  're  one  o'  the  sisters,"  went  on 
Miss  Applebee,  as  she  gained  the  landing.  "  Dr. 
Latimer  sent  me  over  to  see  you.  Be  you  the 
oldest?" 

44  No  ;  I  'm  only  Vernon,"  replied  the  girl.  She 
guessed  at  once  the  caller's  identity.  "  Come  right 
in  this  way,"  opening  the  dining-room  door.  "  My 
sister  Helen  is  busy  with  her  school,  but  if  it  is 
something  important  I  can  call  her." 

44  No  ;  you  Tl  do  just  as  well,  I  guess,"  said  the 
visitor,  looking  about  her  as  she  seated  herself. 
44  Well,  you  Ve  got  it  comfortable  here,"  she  added, 
looking  at  Vernon  in  a  pleasant,  motherly  way  that 
the  girl  liked.  44 1  'm  Persis  Applebee,"  she  went 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  93 

on.  "  I  do  for  Dr.  Latimer,  and  he  's  been  noticin' 
the  last  day  or  two  that  you  was  advertisin'  for  a 
girl.  Have  you  got  one  yet?" 

"No;  it  is  very  hard  to  get  one,"  answered 
Vernon.  "  We  can't  pay  much,  you  know." 

"  You  had  n't  ought  to  in  this  little  place,"  re 
marked  Miss  Applebee  comfortingly. 

"  I  thought  I  could  do  everything  at  first,"  said 
Vernon,  "  but  I  kept  burning  my  fingers,  and  be 
sides,  Josephine  —  that 's  my  oldest  sister  —  said 
we  should  n't  keep  well  if  I  cooked  any  longer, 
and  so  we  advertised." 

Persis,  her  hands  folded  under  her  shawl,  re 
garded  the  serious  face  and  shook  with  silent 
laughter. 

"  Poor  little  girl !  "  she  remarked. 

"  And  it  is  too  much  for  Helen  to  have  to  do 
anything  about  it,"  went  on  Vernon.  "  She  has 
just  taken  some  more  children  into  the  school  and 
it  takes  all  her  thought  and  strength,  and  I  was 
feeling  quite  troubled  about  it  this  morning  just 
before  you  came."  Vernon  looked  hopefully  into 
the  visitor's  pleasant,  broad  countenance,  thinking 
it  possible  that  help  was  coming  from  this  quarter. 

"  I  guess  't  would  n't  be  a  very  hard  place  for 
anybody,"  observed  the  other.  "  You  don't  have 
much  comp'ny." 

Vernon  smiled.  "  No,  indeed.  We  don't  know 
anybody.  We  had  our  German  teacher  to  dinner 
the  other  night,  and  I  tell  you  we  all  had  lots  to 
do  that  day." 


94  DE.  LATIMEE. 

"  You  mean  that  Mr.  Brook,"  said  Persis. 
"  Don't  it  beat  all  the  way  he  talks  ? "  and  she 
laughed  again  in  her  silent  fashion.  "  He  was  to 
lunch  with  the  doctor  the  other  day,  and  when 
some  smelts  was  offered  to  him  he  says,  says  he : 
4  Don't  these  fish  never  grow  any  taller  than  this  ?  ' 
I  thought  I  should  ha'  snickered  right  out." 

Vernon  laughed  at  Miss  Applebee's  effort  to 
reproduce  the  German's  precise  and  careful  pro 
nunciation. 

"  I  've  got  somebody  in  my  eye  for  you,"  pursued 
Persis.  "  There  's  a  girl  I  know  of  that  ain't  over 
and  above  strong  that  I  think  would  be  glad  of 
this  place." 

"  We  've  had  a  number  of  applications,"  said 
Yernon,  "  but  the  girls  all  want  more  than  we  can 
pay." 

"  I  '11  send  this  one  over  to  talk  with  you.  I 
guess  she  '11  come  this  evenin'." 

"  We  're  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you,"  said 
Vernon,  as  the  visitor  stood  up. 

Persis  eyed  the  fresh  young  face  and  grateful 
eyes  approvingly.  "  The  doctor  's  in  the  right 
on  't,"  she  thought.  "  If  they  're  all  three  like  this, 
H  's  kind  o'  tough  that  there  ain't  any  mother-bird 
in  the  nest." 

"  You  know  where  the  doctor  lives,  don't  you  ?  " 
she  asked  aloud. 

"  Helen  does." 

"  Well,  you  just  run  around  there  any  time  if 
there  's  anythin'  I  can  do  for  you.  You  say  you 
don't  know  many." 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  95 

"  No,  we  don't  know  many  and  we  don't  know 
much,"  admitted  Vernon  frankly.  "  You  and  the 
doctor  are  very  good  to  us." 

Miss  Applebee,  usually  antagonistic  on  principle 
to  the  many  persons  who  made  draughts  upon  her 
employer's  time  and  thought,  made  an  exception 
henceforth  in  favor  of  "the  orphans,"  as  she  always 
termed  the  doctor's  latest  proteges. 

She  was  as  good  as  her  word  in  regard  to  sending 
a  girl  to  the  flat,  and  this  young  woman,  having 
been  interviewed  by  Josephine,  was  promptly  en 
gaged  and  proved  to  be  the  right  person  in  the 
right  place.  The  exciting  uncertainty  which  up  to 
now  had  attended  the  anticipation  of  the  daily 
meals  was  succeeded  by  a  refreshing  confidence. 
The  income  and  outgo  of  the  little  menage  became 
better  understood,  and  Vernon,  after  an  evening  of 
solemn  conclave  with  her  sisters,  during  which  a 
large  amount  of  figuring  and  estimating  was  ac 
complished,  assumed  the  responsible  position  of 
housekeeper. 

Mr.  Bruch  took  much  interest  in  these  domestic 
arrangements,  and  feelingly  gave  Vernon  to  under 
stand  that  the  mental,  moral,  and  physical  welfare 
of  persons  depended  largely  upon  the  amount  of 
good  soup  they  imbibed. 

Vernon  gave  him  a  stern  glance  in  memory  of 
her  injuries.  She  had  looked  vainly  in  her  walks 
abroad  for  one  glimpse  of  that  stalwart  figure  and 
impassive  face  whose  elegance  had  been  affronted 
under  their  roof. 


96  DR.  LA  TIMER. 

"  While  I  am  housekeeper  we  shall  not  use  any 
onions,"  she  declared  inflexibly. 

"  But,  rny  dear  young  friend,  you  can  use  other 
things."  Mr.  Bruch  was  justly  proud  of  his  mas 
tery  of  our  "  tli,"  but  was  always  obliged  to  hold 
his  tongue  in  evidence  between  his  teeth  to  accom 
plish  the  sound. 

"But  we  can't  have  three  courses  every  day," 
objected  Vernon. 

"  At  home  with  us,"  said  Mr.  Bruch  solemnly, 
"we  have  pudding  on  holidays,  otherwise  not. 
Your  pie  is  not  good  for  you." 

"  That  is  what  we  will  do,  Vernon,"  put  in  Jose 
phine,  who  was  present.  "  That  will  be  true  econ 
omy.  Soup  and  a  second  course,  and  dessert  only 
on  Sunday." 

Vernon  looked  extreme  disapproval.  "  Very 
well,"  she  replied,  turning  away  with  an  injured 
air.  "I  prophesy  that  you  and  Helen  will  be 
thankful  enough  to  have  me  give  you  a  little  taffy 
every  evening." 

Josephine  looked  amused  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  Vernon  intended  to  be  strictly  literal ;  but 
even  the  cutting  off  of  her  favorite  course  at  din 
ner  could  not  depress  the  youngest  entirely,  in 
view  of  her  important  and  congenial  position.  She 
liked  her  little  account  book  and  kept  its  columns 
with  systematic  neatness.  She  liked  the  daily 
planning  necessary  to  give  her  family  variety  and 
still  abide  within  the  limits  of  the  day's  allowance. 
She  liked  the  morning  walk  to  market  and  her  in- 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  97 

terviews  with  the  butcher  and  grocer,  with  whom 
she  soon  became  a  favorite  customer,  notwithstand 
ing  the  small  contributions  she  made  to  their  for 
tunes. 

With  tactful  frankness  she  threw  herself  upon 
the  mercy  of  the  marketman  as  follows :  — 

"  I  don't  know  one  thing  about  meat,  and  just 
as  long  as  you  will  help  me  and  tell  me  what  the 
nice  pieces  are,  I  shall  come  to  you  and  I  won't  go 
to  anybody  else." 

"  All  right,  mum,"  responded  the  man,  to  whom 
this  address  was  a  novelty.  Experience  had  ren 
dered  him  pessimistic,  however,  and  he  added 
rather  gruffly :  "  Everybody  wants  the  best  cuts, 
but  't  ain't  everybody 's  willin'  to  pay  the  best 
prices." 

"  Oh,  but  I  would  rather  have  a  little  little  piece 
of  meat  and  have  it  nice ;  would  n't  you  ? "  re 
sponded  Vernon ;  and  the  serious  questioning  in 
her  violet  eyes  as  she  added  the  "  would  n't  you  ?  " 
settled  the  matter  for  that  butcher. 

Sometimes  when  she  had  a  large  purchase  of 
groceries  to  make,  the  young  housekeeper  went 
into  the  heart  of  the  city  to  a  mammoth  establish 
ment  where  prices  were  in  inverse  proportion  to 
the  scale  on  which  business  was  done ;  and  it  was 
on  one  of  these  expeditions  that  she  was  at  last 
rewarded  for  her  scrutiny  of  crowds  by  a  sight  of 
the  young  man  whose  claim  to  interest  lay  princi 
pally  in  the  fact  that  she  feared  he  looked  down 
upon  her. 


98  DR.  LATIMER. 

This  being  the  case,  as  soon  as  she  recognized 
him  she  made  herself  as  tall  as  possible,  endeav 
ored  to  match  his  habitual  indifference  of  expres 
sion  with  her  own,  and  when  they  finally  met 
threw  a  shade  of  surprise  into  the  unsmiling  bow 
with  which  she  favored  him. 

Being  secretly  elated  with  her  own  performance, 
it  was  somewhat  trying  to  be  accosted  languidly 
thus : — 

"  Ah,  good-morning.  Why  are  n't  you  playing 
with  Dickie  ?  " 

Vernon  would  have  drawn  herself  up,  but  greater 
heights  were  impossible. 

"  Because  I  sometimes  have  something  more  im 
portant  to  do,"  she  replied  loftily. 

"  Indeed  ?  Your  manner  points  to  matters  of 
state." 

"  Well !  No  matter  of  state  could  flourish  with 
out  bread  and  butter,  could  it  ?  " 

"  You  don't  mean  that  you  are  marketing  so  far 
from  home  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?     I  go  to  different  places." 

"  Are  you  the  housekeeper  ?  " 

"  Yes."  Vernon  swelled  a  little,  then  with  sudden 
recollection  added  hurriedly.  "  That  is,  I  am  now. 
I  was  n't  when  you  were  at  our  house." 

"  Ah  !     Just  promoted  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  suppose  you  know  my  sister  has  taken 
Dickie  altogether  into  the  kindergarten,"  said 
Vernon. 

"  I  do,"  Mr  Randolph  sighed. 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  99 

"  So  you  can  go  to  your  aunt's  again  in  safety, n 
she  added  smiling. 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  about  that,  Miss  Vernon.  In 
this  world  if  it  is  n't  one  thing  it  's  another. 
Dickie  has  presented  me  with  a  bookmark  ! 

"  Oh  !   one  he  worked  himself  in  school." 

"  Ye-es.  It  is  really  a  more  serious  visitation 
than  the  bruises,  for  they  got  well  in  time,  and  the 
a  —  bird  on  this  bookmark  does  n't  look  as  though 
anything  could  be  done  for  him.  It  is  —  it  is 
really  harrowing." 

"  You  ungrateful  creature,"  said  Vernon,  her 
eyes  twinkling.  "  The  children  are  taught  to 
make  others  happy,  and  you  ought  to  take  the  will 
for  the  deed." 

"  Yes,  of  course,  I  understand  ;  but  if  you  would 
kindly  mention  to  your  sister  that  we  are  a  small 
family,  and  that  a  very  few  bookmarks  will  fill  us 
with  all  the  joy  we  can  sustain,  I  should  esteem  it 
a  favor." 

They  could  not  well  stand  longer  in  the  crowded 
walk. 

Mr.  Randolph  lifted  his  hat  and  Vernon  went 
on  her  way,  smiling,  and  pleasurably  impressed  by 
his  manner. 

Although  she  had  not  thought  it  necessary  to 
admit  as  much  to  Olin,  she  was  hurrying  now  in 
order  to  finish  her  errands  and  be  at  home  in  time 
for  the  children's  recess,  for  she  retained  her  posi 
tion  as  leader  of  their  games,  enjoying  the  romps 
as  much  as  they  did,  and  it  follows  that  the  little 


100  DR.   LATIMER. 

ones  loved  her  demonstratively.  Dickie  Starbird, 
who  all  his  little  life  had  been  secluded  from  a 
contaminating  world  in  such  domains  as  his  unfed 
imagination  could  construct  from  the  materials 
in  Miss  Norman's  front  yard,  now  found  activity, 
occupation,  companionship,  all  that  a  healthy  child 
desires,  in  the  school,  where  he  marched  with 
strongest  tread,  sung  with  loudest  voice,  and  used 
his  eyes  and  fingers  with  the  most  concentrated 
energy  of  any  of  Helen's  flock. 

Miss  Norman  was  delighted  with  his  pleasure 
and  his  achievements,  and  often  visited  the  kinder 
garten  to  watch  his  operations,  blind  to  the  other 
pupils  in  her  fond  admiration  of  the  way  Dickie's 
little  awkward  fingers,  laboriously  assisted  by  his 
tongue,  wove  or  sewed  under  the  teacher's  superin 
tendence. 

These  would  have  been  dark  and  dreary  days  for 
Puggy  but  that  he  was  allowed  to  career  about  with 
the  children  at  recess,  learning  to  run  home  when 
his  playmates  were  called  in,  there  to  cry  softly 
and  reminiscently,  and  stare  with  his  big  pensive 
eyes,  until  Miss  Norman  declared  that  she  was  the 
most  badgered  woman  in  the  world,  and  that  it  was 
her  belief  the  very  sticks  and  stones  would  be  cry 
ing  next  to  be  allowed  to  go  to  Miss  Helen's  kin 
dergarten  ! 

She  told  Agnes  all  about  it,  —  of  Dickie's  con 
tentment  and  Puggy 's  intelligence,  and  Agnes  lis 
tened  as  she  always  did  listen  through  nine  months 
of  the  year,  with  the  preoccupied  air  which  her 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  101 

sister  had  accepted  as  one  of  the  inevitable  crosses 
of  her  life. 

There  was  more  comfort  after  all  in  talking  to 
Dr.  Latimer.  He  gave  Miss  Norman  his  whole 
attention  when  she  confided  in  him,  and  nodded 
with  satisfaction  at  her  accounts. 

"  All  this  must  make  you  feel  very  kindly  to 
ward  Miss  Helen,"  he  remarked  once  at  the  cloue 
of  Miss  Norman's  eulogy  of  Dickie's  accomplish 
ments. 

"  She  has  certainly  not  mistaken  her  vocation," 
replied  Miss  Charlotte,  but  she  evidently  did  not 
wish  to  talk  about  Helen.  The  girl  was  a  useful 
instrument,  but  the  interesting  facts  regarded 
Dickie's  actions  solely. 

Dr.  Latimer  was  disappointed.  It  seemed  so 
natural  to  him  that  Miss  Norman,  having  a  rather 
unusual  amount  of  leisure,  should  take  a  strong 
neighborly  and  womanly  interest  in  those  three 
girls  who,  for  all  their  independence,  had  been  so 
grateful  for  his  housekeeper's  assistance.  What 
made  her  conservatism  the  more  surprising  was 
the  fact  that  in  the  past  he  had  not  found  her  a 
self-centred  woman.  He  had  known  many  in 
stances  of  her  helpfulness  to  outsiders.  He  could 
only  believe  that  her  prejudices  were  so  strong 
that  in  this  case  she  relaxed  them  only  far  enough 
to  indulge  her  little  nephew's  imperious  will. 

"  I  suppose  Dickie  is  fond  of  his  teachers  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  He  likes  them  very  much,  I  think,"  responded 


102  DR.  LATIMER. 

Miss  Charlotte,  "  and  I  must  show  you  a  mat  he 
has  just  made.  He  was  so  proud  of  it,  dear  little 
fellow." 

From  Miss  Norman's  Dr.  Latimer  went  to  the 
Ivisons'.  He  usually  did  hear  something  at  the 
former  place  which  made  him  feel  that  he  must 
look  at  the  girls  and  see  if  they  were  all  right. 

He  found  them  clustered  around  their  dining- 
room  lamp,  as  was  usual  in  the  evening. 

Helen,  who  claimed  the  doctor  as  belonging 
rather  to  her  than  to  her  sisters,  heard  his  step 
and  flew  to  admit  him. 

He  looked  from  one  to  the  other  with  kindly 
scrutiny  and  saw  that  Josephine  was  pale. 

"  I  'm  glad  it  is  near  ing  the  end  of  the  working 
season  for  you,"  he  said,  as  he  took  her  offered 
hand. 

"  Do  I  show  that  the  day  has  been  perverse  ?  " 
she  asked. 

"  Yes.     How  is  the  housekeeper  ?  " 

"I  haven't  disgraced  myself  yet,"  replied  the 
youngest.  "  I  have  n't  lost  any  money  or  bought 
anything  that  was  very  bad,  have  I,  girls  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,"  answered  Helen.  "  You  can  im 
agine  how  busy  Vernon  is,  Dr.  Latimer.  She 
goes  in  the  morning  to  call  for  two  children  who 
are  too  small  to  come  otherwise,  and  takes  them 
home  again  when  school  is  over,  keeps  house  for 
us,  and  helps  me  all  day  ! 

"  No  drones  in  this  hive,"  remarked  the  visitor. 
"  I  hear  Dickie  Starbird  is  a  very  happy  and  prom 
ising  pupil." 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  103 

"  He  is  a  dear,  earnest  little  boy,"  replied 
Helen. 

u  His  aunt  is  very  much  pleased,"  remarked  the 
doctor  tentatively. 

"  She  seems  to  be,"  answered  the  teacher,  and 
said  no  more.  It  occurred  to  Dr.  Latimer  that 
Miss  Norman's  lack  of  cordiality  was  returned. 

"  Has  either  of  you  met  Miss  Agnes  Norman  ?  " 
he  asked,  looking  at  Josephine. 

"  No,  I  have  never  seen  her.  We  heard  about 
her,  though,  before  we  had  been  in  Boston  a  week, 
and  are  looking  forward  to  summer,  when  with  the 
windows  open  we  hope  to  get  a  great  deal  of  her 
music  under  the  rose." 

"  They  go  away  in  summer,"  answered  the  doc 
tor,  "  and  in  any  case  Miss  Norman  rarely  touches 
the  home  piano.  She  is  to  give  a  recital  on  Friday 
evening.  Would  you  all  like  to  go  ?  " 

The  girls  assented  promptly. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  you  hear  her.  She  is  an 
excellent  artist,  and  this  is  to  be  her  last  recital 
for  the  season.  I  will  come  for  you  on  Friday 
evening." 

"  Oh,  shall  you  go  with  us  ?  "  asked  Josephine, 
so  pleased  and  surprised  that  the  ejaculation  was 
involuntary. 

"  Certainly."  Dr.  Latimer  smiled  into  the 
eager  face,  somewhat  surprised  himself.  "  I  al 
ways  go  to  hear  Miss  Norman  play." 

"  She  teaches,  does  n't  she  ?  "  asked  Helen. 

"  Yes,  a  few  determined  pupils,  who  submit  to 


104  DR.  LATIMER. 

be  taught  or  dropped  as  her  conceit 
decree ;  but  she  plays  nowhere  to  more  whole 
hearted  enthusiasm  than  in  her-  own  city.  Her 
success  is  a  notable  exception  to  the  saying  about 
a  prophet." 

Here  came  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  Vernon  an 
swered  it.  To  her  own  surprise  and  that  of  all 
present  it  was  Oliii  Randolph  whom  she  ushered 
into  the  small  room.  He  felt  a  little  disconcerted 
to  perceive  Dr.  Latimer,  and  the  latter  was  no  bet 
ter  pleased  to  recognize  the  guest.  The  newcomer, 
however,  evinced  no  discomposure. 

"  Is  there  room  for  one  more  ?  "  he  asked,  look 
ing  at  Josephine,  who  had  risen  at  his  entrance. 

"  Good-evening,  Mr.  Randolph,"  she  said,  with 
formality.  "  I  believe  you  know  Dr.  Latimer. 
Won't  you  take  a  chair  ?  " 

Vernon  laughed  irrepressibly.  "  That  is  all  very 
well  to  say  when  there  isn't  any  chair,"  she  re 
marked.  "  Wait  one  moment,  Mi\  Randolph." 

"  Here,  let  me  get  it,"  said  the  latter,  hastening 
after  her  into  the  dim  shade  of  the  schoolroom. 

Those  in  the  dining-room  could  hear  Vernon 
giggling  as  the  caller  seized  the  first  chair  that 
came  to  hand. 

"  That  is  Dickie's.  No,  no,  that  one  won't  do 
either.  Here  is  Helen's.  She  will  let  you  take  it." 

"  I  feel  like  Golden  Hair  trying  the  chairs  in 
the  fairy  story,"  drawled  Mr.  Randolph,  reappear, 
ing  with  his  prize. 

"  Thank  you.  Do  we  look  like  the  Three  Bears  ?  " 
asked  Helen. 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  105 

"  Just  as  much  as  he  does  like  Golden  Hair," 
Suggested  Vernon,  as  they  seated  themselves. 

"  Does  the  analogy  continue  ?  "  asked  Dr.  Lati- 
mer.  "  Have  you  run  away  from  home,  Olin  ?  " 

"  No,  doctor,"  replied  the  young  man  coolly. 
"  You  can't  run  away  from  what  you  don't  possess, 
you  know.  I  thought  I  would  drop  in,  Miss  Ivison," 
hardily  addressing  Josephine,  who  looked  the  re 
verse  of  gracious,  "  to  show  you  those  pictures  of 
the  island  which  you  said  you  would  like  to  see." 
He  produced  a  paper  package  and  proceeded  to  un« 
tie  it.  Josephine,  finding  it  impossible  to  declare, 
as  she  longed  to  do,  that  she  had  said  nothing  of 
the  sort,  looked  on  helplessly. 

"  We  fell  to  talking  about  the  island  the  other 
evening,  doctor,  and  I  thought  the  young  ladies 
would  get  a  better  idea  of  it  from  pictures  than 
from  my  descriptions." 

"  It  was  an  odd  subject  of  conversation  for  you 
to  choose,  wasn't  it?"  asked  Dr.  Latimer  with  a 
slight  smile. 

"  I  don't  really  know  how  we  happened  to  hit 
upon  it,"  returned  Olin,  lifting  his  fine  head  ;  "  do 
you,  Miss  Ivison  ?  " 

Josephine  murmured  dissent  and  yearned  to  add 
that  she  had  entirely  forgotten  that  they  ever  did 
speak  of  it,  but  Dr.  Latimer's  presence  restrained 
her  from  delivering  any  such  snub.  Miss  Norman's 
persistently  formal  attitude  toward  the  little  house 
hold  had  not  inclined  Josephine  to  welcome  that 
lady's  nephew. 


106  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  What  island  is  it  ?  "  inquired  Yernon. 

"  The  one  where  Dr.  Latimer  and  my  aunts  have 
their  summer  homes  ;  "  and  as  the  youngest  showed 
most  interest  in  his  pictures  Mr.  Randolph  offered 
the  first  to  her.  u  Here,"  he  added,  addressing 
Josephine,  and  passing  her  a  second  photograph, 
that  of  a  row  of  cottages,  "  here  is  our  settlement. 
Dr.  Latimer  will  show  you  which  is  his  house  — 
the  Sea  Shell." 

Josephine  looked  with  her  first  gleam  of  interest 
at  the  picture,  and  leaned  toward  the  doctor,  who 
put  his  finger  on  one  of  the  plain  little  buildings 
which  with  its  sister  cottages  seemed  set  upon  a 
bare  bluff  above  a  quiet  bay. 

Vernon  regarded  the  picture  she  held  of  a  rock- 
strewn,  sparsely  wooded  field  doubtfully.  "  Is  it 
a  pretty  place  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Why,  it  is  a  beautiful  place,"  returned  Olin, 
who  began  to  find  himself  in  a  trying  situation. 
It  was  hard  that  he  should  be  forced  to  manufac 
ture  interest  which  he  was  known  by  the  exasper- 
atingly  mute  doctor  not  to  feel ;  hard,  indeed,  that 
he  of  all  people  should  be  driven  into  booming  the 
island.  No  wonder  Dr.  Latimer's  face  expressed 
amusement  as  he  quietly  regarded  the  picture  in 
Josephine's  hand.  Yet  how,  if  these  photographs 
were  not  of  an  interesting  locality,  was  Mr.  Ran 
dolph  to  account  for  his  existence  in  Miss  Ivi- 
son's  sitting-room  at  the  present  moment  ?  He 
would  have  managed  very  well,  he  thought,  but 
for  the  doctor's  inopportune  visit.  As  it  was  he 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  107 

had  no  choice  but  to  put  a  bold  face  upon  the  sit 
uation. 

"  See  what  you  think  of  this,"  he  added,  hand 
ing  Vernoii  another  photograph.  "  It  is  the  one 
of  the  wood  road,  doctor,"  he  added  airily. 

Dr.  Latimer  merely  bowed  pleasantly. 

"  Why  in  the  name  of  all  that 's  friendly  can't 
he  enthuse  a  little  ?  "  thought  Olin  hotly.  "  Yes," 
he  added,  in  reply  to  Vernon's  pleased  comment, 
"  it  is  a  very  pretty  place,  —  one  of  the  most  attrac 
tive  on  the  island,  to  my  mind." 

"  Then  this  is  pretty,  Miss  Helen  ;  the  Willows, 
you  know,  doctor,"  suggestively. 

Dr.  Latimer  nodded  again. 

"  Confound  him  !  "  was  Mr.  Randolph's  unspoken 
ejaculation.  "  Yes,  Miss  Helen,  a  lovely  place  ;  that 
coast,  you  know,  although  usually  considered  rather 
forbidding  and  rugged,  abounds  in  little  coves  and 
liays  and  inlets,  and  the  shore  is  often  wooded." 
*'  Oh,"  groaned  Randolph,  in  a  mental  aside,  "  I  'm 
going  on  precisely  like  a  page  out  of  a  geography. 
Why  wont  the  doctor  say  something?" 

He  scattered  the  photographs  upon  the  table,  and 
\bven  Josephine  concluded  from  the  unprecedented 
energy  and  glibness  expended  by  the  visitor  upon 
his  subject  that  he  must  be  tenderly  attached  to 
this  apparently  unpromising  bit  of  country,  and 
liked  him  the  better  for  his  enthusiasm. 

The  sere-looking  fields,  and  blank,  unrippled 
water  of  the  pale  photographs  gave  so  little  excuse 
for  admiration  that  she  ran  them  over  in  the  des- 


108  DE.  LATIMEE. 

perate  hope  now  of  finding  something1  pleasant  to 
say. 

The  doctor's  honest,  quiet  voice  broke  an  awk 
ward  pause. 

"  One  cares  very  much  for  these  pictures  after 
he  has  visited  the  island,"  he  said,  "  but  words 
paint  it  for  strangers  more  satisfactorily  than  the 
camera,  I  think." 

"  Well,  that  is  just  what  we  have  been  waiting 
for,  doctor,"  replied  Olin,  falling  back  into  his  old 
manner.  "  I  know  of  no  one  who  can  do  the  sub 
ject  greater  justice  than  yourself." 

Dr.  Latimer  looked  thoughtful.  The  "  Divinity 
that  shapes  our  ends "  was  a  very  real  and  near 
friend  to  him.  An  idea  suddenly  occurred  to  him 
while  Josephine's  pale  face  bent  over  the  pictures. 
He  wondered  if  Olin  had  brought  them  here  that 
a  purpose  might  be  carried  out  far  removed  from 
the  young  man's  personal  schemes.  The  doctor 
stored  the  idea  in  his  memory  for  future  considera 
tion. 

"It  is  a  subject  that  cannot  be  done  justice  to 
without  more  time  than  I  have  now  at  my  dis 
posal,"  he  responded. 

Yet  although  this  implied  an  intention  of  taking 
his  departure  soon,  the  doctor  lingered  ;  not  speak 
ing  often,  and  when  he  did,  with  the  radiant  seren 
ity  which  was  his  most  obvious  characteristic ;  yet 
he  waited,  and  at  last  Olin  was  convinced  that  the 
delay  was  on  his  account.  As  soon  as  the  young 
man  understood  this  he  gave  up  the  project  he 


THE  ISLAND  PHOTOGRAPHS.  109 

had  formed  of  outstaying  his  friend,  and  folded  up 
the  photographs. 

"  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Ran 
dolph,"  said  Helen  gently. 

"  Indeed  we  are,"  added  Vernon,  who  determined 
that  everything  short  of  asking  him  to  come  again 
she  would  do,  look,  and  say  in  the  way  of  encour 
agement.  She  thought  it  a  shame  that  Josephine 
was  not  more  cordial,  and  yet  the  eldest  was  suffi 
ciently  gracious  in  her  manner  of  parting  with  the 
young  man. 

Both  visitors  finally  found  themselves  in  the 
street,  and  Olin  waited  in  silence  for  his  friend  to 
speak  as  they  took  their  way  toward  the  horse-car. 

"  Did  your  aunt  know  you  called  on  the  Ivisons 
to-night,  Olin  ?  " 

"  What  should  make  you  ask  that  ?  " 

"  Because  I  saw  you  had  Miss  Charlotte's  set  of 
photographs,  and  I  wondered  if  you  told  her  what 
you  were  going  to  do  with  them." 

"  Well,  I  know  of  old  that  you  don't  ask  idle 
questions,  doctor.  No,  I  did  not  tell  her  where  I 
was  going.  I  rarely  tell  her  my  movements." 

"  But  in  this  case  was  your  reason  for  silence  not 
the  fact  that  you  knew  she  would  disapprove  your 
intention  ?  " 

Randolph  gave  a  short  laugh.  "  It  would  n't  do 
the  smallest  good  to  deny  it,  doctor,  to  such  a  clair 
voyant  as  yourself." 

"  If  I  am  clairvoyant  now  it  is  because  I  feel  a 
care  of  those  three  young  girls.  Suppose  sisters 


110  DR.  LATIMER. 

of  your  own  to  be  living  so  unconventionally  as 
they  are.  Should  you  not  be  grateful  if  young 
men  like  yourself  would  keep  away  from  them?" 

"  I  had  n't  thought  about  it,"  answered  Randolph 
shortly. 

"  If  you  do  think  about  it  you  will  probably  feel 
as  I  do,  for  I  know  you  pretty  well  and  believe 
selfishness  is  not  your  only  mainspring  of  action. 
I  hoped  your  aunts  would  take  these  girls  up  ; 
then  your  intercourse  with  them  would  have  been 
natural  and  agreeable  ;  but  you  have  heard  Miss 
Charlotte's  criticisms  and  know  how  women  will  be 
likely  to  regard  those  girls  if  they  receive  young 
men  in  their  present  situation." 

"  You  need  not  continue,  Dr.  Latimer,"  said  the 
other  coldly.  "  Visiting  the  Misses  Ivison  is  a 
matter  of  more  indifference  to  me  than  you  seem 
to  imagine." 

"Thank  you  for  the  assurance,"  replied  the 
older  man  kindly.  "  Good-night,  Olin,"  and  the 
doctor  boarded  a  car. 

Randolph  was  obliged  to  wait  a  minute  for  one 
coming  from  the  opposite  direction.  The  package 
in  his  hand  added  its  associations  to  his  annoyance. 

As  he  recalled  the  effusive  commendation  into 
which  he  had  been  betrayed  on  the  subject  of 
the  despised  island,  he  was  obliged  to  admit  that 
Dr.  Latimer  had  let  him  off  easily. 

Nettled  though  he  felt,  he  could  not  forbear  a 
smile  at  the  absurdity  of  his  own  situation  as  he 
stepped  aboard  his  car. 


CHAPTER   IX. 
AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL. 

FRIDAY  dawned  with  a  lowering  sky,  and  by 
the  time  Josephine  returned  from  her  work  her 
umbrella  was  in  requisition. 

"  It  is  really  raining  ;  is  n't  it  ?  "  said  Helen,  as 
her  sister  came  in.  "  I  was  hoping  it  would  only 
threaten  until  the  concert  was  over.  You  are  tired, 
Josephine." 

"  No  more  than  you  are,"  replied  the  other 
cheerfully,  taking  off  her  jacket,  "and  now  we 
both  have  until  Monday  morning  to  rest  in,  —  and 
the  concert !  " 

Helen  looked  at  her  sister  curiously.  The  lat- 
ter's  look  of  anticipation  was  radiant. 

"  Then  you  don't  mind  going  out  again  in  the 
rain  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed  ;  of  course  I  would  rather  have  had 
it  pleasant,  because  I  wish  we  might  look  our  very 
best." 

"  Oh,  you  have  come,  Josephine,"  said  Yernon 
dolefully,  as  she  entered  the  room.  "  I  wanted  to 
wear  my  big  hat  with  the  ostrich  tips,  but  Helen 
says  they  will  all  straighten  out." 

"Never   mind,"   replied  Josephine,  drawing  a 


112  DR.   LATIMER. 

chair  up  before  the  little  open  fire  in  the  school 
room,  where  they  were.  "  I  can  curl  them  again 
to-morrow,  and  your  turban  is  n't  nearly  so  becom 
ing.  Wear  your  best  hat,  by  all  means." 

"Do  you  think  it  is  going  to  be  such  a  fashion 
able  audience  ? "  asked  Helen,  whose  thriftiness 
was  offended  by  this  plan. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  replied  Jose 
phine  gayly.  "  I  only  know  we  are  going  with 
Pr.  Latimer,  and  we  must  be  a  credit  to  him  if  it 
takes  the  whole  of  our  next  month's  salaries  to  re 
pair  damages." 

"Just  supposing  it  was  Mr.  Randolph,"  said 
Vernon  slowly,  with  meditative  relish. 

"  We  should  n't  be  going  if  it  were  Mr.  Ran 
dolph  who  had  invited  us,"  remarked  the  oldest 
quickly  and  in  a  changed  voice. 

"  Well,  I  'd  like  to  know  why  not  ?  "  inquired 
Vernon  with  injured  dignity.  "  I  would  n't  ask 
anything  better  than  to  enter  a  concert-room  with 
him  and  have  people  see  how  attentive  he  was  to 
me." 

"  After  the  things  he  has  heard  his  aunt  say 
about  us ? "  asked  Josephine  severely.  "I  am 
ashamed  of  you." 

Vernon  blushed  red,  and  rising  left  the  room. 

"  You  make  a  mistake,  Josephine,"  said  Helen 
seriously,  "to  keep  those  wounds  to  our  pride  be 
fore  Vernon.  I  don't  forgive  myself  for  telling 
her,  in  the  first  place,  what  Miss  Norman  said.  It 
is  a  cruel  wrong  to  her  to  let  such  thoughts  come 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  113 

to  her  mind.  She  is  a  wonderfully  innocent,  child 
like  girl  for  her  age,  and  if  she  says  such  things 
as  she  did  a  minute  ago  about  Mr.  Randolph  it  is 
only  what  most  girls  would  think  instead  of  say- 
ing." 

"  But  the  awful  idea  of  her  becoming  sentimental 
about  that  man,  of  all  men  !  " 

"  Her  speaking  out  is  a  sure  sign  that  she  is  not 
becoming  so.  But  if  you  snub  her  and  she  loses 
the  safety-valve  of  expressing  those  little  fancies 
that  every  girl  has,  she  will  be  very  likely  to  be 
come  sentimental." 

"  We  never  had  any  sentimental  fancies,"  ob 
jected  Josephine. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  I  did,"  answered  Helen  earnestly. 
"  I  used  to  be  very  much  smitten  with  that  boy  in 
our  room  at  school  in  Philadelphia,  —  what  was  his 
name,  now,  —  that  boy  who  always  wore  a  white 
silk  tie,  don't  you  remember?  " 

Josephine  laughed.  "  I  don't  know  how  I  should 
remember,  if  you  don't." 

"  Well,  I  was,  anyway.  I  sent  him  a  valentine 
once,  and  then  suffered  agonies  for  fear  he  should 
find  it  out.  And  we  must  n't  be  hard  on  Vernon ; 
she  ?.s  our  baby  and  she  is  a  dear  girl." 

"  Yes,  if  she  would  only  stay  a  baby  until  you 
were  married,  Helen,  and  could  place  her  rightly 
in  the  world.  She  is  provokingly  pretty." 

"  She  is,"  admitted  Helen,  gazing  at  the  fire, 
her  brow  puckered  in  tribulation  of  spirit.  ';It 
is  a  worse  kind  than  yours.  You  frighten  people, 


114  DR.  LATIMER. 

but  Vernon  invites  them,  —  poor  innocent  little 
thing." 

"  Yet  you  won't  let  me  be  a  dragon,"  said  Jose 
phine,  slipping  an  arm  around  Helen's  waist. 

"  You  can  learn  to  be  a  wise  one,  dear." 

"  I  think  our  position  is  hard."  Josephine 
sighed  wearily.  "  Did  n't  you  see  that  Dr.  Latimer 
did  n't  like  it  the  other  evening  because  Mr.  Ran 
dolph  came  in  in  that  familiar  way  ?  " 

"  No,  I  did  n't  notice  anything." 

"  Well,  I  did.  Yet  it  was  n't  our  fault,  and  I 
—  I  want  to  be  taken  care  of,  Helen." 

The  latter  took  the  speaker's  proud  head  upon 
her  breast  and  held  her  close  in  her  slender  arms. 

"  That  is  why  I  look  forward  so  much  to  to 
night."  Josephine's  dreamy  eyes  looked  into  the 
fire  as  she  talked.  "  For  a  little  while  we  shall  be 
so  beautifully  taken  care  of,  so  beautifully  respect 
able.  It  will  be  so  different  from  going  with  Mr. 
Bruch." 

"  Mr.  Bruch  is  just  as  respectable,  —  yes,  and 
just  as  much  of  a  gentleman  as  Dr.  Latimer,"  de 
clared  Helen  with  spirit. 

Her  sister  smiled.  "  Yes,  but  Boston  people 
don't  know  that,  and  everybody  who  is  anybody 
knows  Dr.  Latimer.  Besides,  Mr.  Bruch  is  too 
young.  Dr.  Latimer's  gray  hair  will  be  as  much 
to  us  to-night  as  his  social  standing." 

"  Josephine,  Josephine,"  said  Helen,  patting  the 
silky,  dark  head,  "  you  are  worse  than  proud,  you 
are  vain.  Vernon's  little  castle  in  the  air  was  born 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  115 

of  the  fact  that  Mr.  Randolph  has  a  fine  pres 
ence,  and  I  don't  see  that  you  are  much  her  supe 
rior." 

"  Which  reminds  me,"  replied  the  eldest,  sitting 
up  and  sighing  again,  "  that  I  must  go  and  make 
my  peace  with  the  baby." 

On  that  same  rainy  afternoon  Miss  Norman  had 
been  much  astonished  to  receive  a  visit  from  her 
oldest  nephew.  She  saw  him  come  in  the  gate  and 
flew  to  open  the  door,  anxiety  expressed  in  every 
lineament  of  her  questioning  face. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Olin  ?  Is  your  Aunt 
Agnes  ill?" 

"No,"  replied  the  visitor,  surprised  by  this  re 
ception.  "  What  is  the  excitement,  Aunt  Char 
lotte?" 

44  There  is  n't  any  that  I  know  of  if  Agnes  is  all 
right,  but  I  have  been  looking  for  her  this  long 
time.  She  ought  to  have  been  home  long  ago  rest 
ing  for  this  evening,  and  it  worries  me  to  have  her 
stay  at  her  room  so  late." 

"  I  fancy  Aunt  Agnes  knows  her  own  business," 
replied  Olin  calmly,  walking  into  the  parlor. 

"  Oh,  well,  you  don't  know  how  tired  she  is  al 
ways  at  this  season.  She  ought  n't  to  go  to  her 
room  at  all  when  she  is  going  to  play,  for  she  sees 
this  person  and  that,  and  is  in  more  or  less  excite 
ment  all  the  time.  I  hope  you  're  not  ill  yourself, 
dear,"  added  Miss  Norman  with  fresh  anxiety. 

"  No,  thank  you.  I  just  came  out  to  see  you  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment.  I  had  a  bright  thought 


116  DR.  LATIMER. 

and  concluded  to  strike  while  the  iron  was  hot.  It 
occurred  to  me  you  might  like  to  pay  some  atten 
tion  to  Dickie's  teacher;  so  I  brought  out  some 
tickets  for  to-night." 

Olin  slipped  his  hand  into  an  inside  pocket  and 
produced  an  envelope.  Miss  Norman  looked  sur 
prised. 

"What  put  that  into  your  head,  pray?"  she 
asked,  more  astonished  than  she  wished  to  express. 
This  unheard-of  energy  on  the  part  of  her  nephew 
amazed  her. 

Olin  gave  one  of  his  slight,  lazy  smiles.  "  You 
must  admit,  my  dear  aunt,  that  for  the  last  few 
weeks  you  have  not  allowed  me  to  forget  the  Misses 
Ivison.  Naturally,  I  supposed  you  would  enjoy 
giving  them  a  pleasure,  had  this  easy  means  oc 
curred  to  you." 

"  I  do  not  imagine  they  are  at  all  cultivated  in 
music,"  objected  Miss  Norman. 

"  Still  they  would  like  the  attention,"  replied 
her  nephew. 

"  You  and  I  were  going  to  sit  together." 

"  So  we  are  still.  I  simply  took  five  seats  in 
stead  of  two." 

"  You  want  me  to  invite  all  three  of  them  ? " 
Miss  Norman's  reluctant  manner  became  ag 
grieved. 

"I  want  you?"  repeated  Olin  slowly,  with  a 
masterly  commingling  in  his  manner  of  dignity  and 
delicate  reproach.  "  I  supposed  I  was  giving  you 
an  opportunity." 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  117 

He  looked  at  his  aunt  with  a  cold  surprise  that 
she  dreaded. 

"  I  would  so  much  rather  go  alone  with  you," 
she  pleaded.  He  put  the  envelope  back  in  his 
pocket.  "  But  as  you  say,  Olin,"  she  hastened  on 
conciliatorily,  "  it  would  be  a  great  opportunity 
for  them,  and  it  was  certainly  very  kind  in  you  to 
think  of  it  and  go  so  much  out  of  your  way." 

Her  nephew  again  drew  forth  the  tickets.  "  Then 
I  will  leave  four  with  you,"  he  said.  "  I  shall  be 
very  busy  this  afternoon,  and  can't  possibly  come 
out  again  to-night  before  the  performance.  The 
best  I  shall  be  able  to  do  will  be  to  meet  you  at 
the  hall.  You  had  better  go  across  the  way  at 
once  and  give  your  invitation.  Too  bad  the 
weather  is  so  unpleasant,"  and  the  young  man  took 
his  departure  without  hearing  another  word  from 
his  aunt's  lips. 

Miss  Norman  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room 
and  regarded  the  unwelcome  tickets  she  held. 
What  an  extraordinary  proceeding  this  was  on 
Olin's  part !  Miss  Charlotte  could  not  compre 
hend  it ;  and,  now  the  young  man's  compelling  in 
fluence  was  removed,  she  liked  her  task  less  than 
ever.  The  home  of  her  three  neighbors  was  glo 
rified  in  the  morning  by  the  fact  that  within  it 
Dickie  spent  several  happy  and  improving  hours, 
but  during  the  latter  part  of  the  day  it  was  as 
obnoxious  as  it  had  ever  been. 

Miss  Norman's  thin  nostrils  dilated.  She  must 
go  upstairs  now  and  don  her  waterproof  and  rub- 


118  DR.  LATIMER. 

bers  and  bonnet,  take  her  umbrella  and  go  across 
the  street  to  invite  three  uninteresting  individuals, 
who  would  perhaps  disgrace  her  by  an  unrefined 
style  of  dressing,  to  accompany  her  and  spoil  for 
her  the  last  concert  given  this  season  by  her  pre 
cious  Agnes. 

It  was  a  bitter  pill  to  swallow.  For  an  instant 
Miss  Norman  entertained  the  project  of  putting  off 
her  request  until  so  near  the  hour  for  departure 
that  it  would  be  unlikely  that  the  girls  could  get 
ready ;  but  her  own  rectitude  would  have  been 
sufficient  to  withstand  this  temptation,  even  had 
she  not  had  forebodings  of  Randolph's  inquiries. 
That  awe  of  a  masterful  man-relative  entertained 
by  most  single  women  —  and  married  ones,  too, 
for  that  matter  —  was  strong  upon  Miss  Charlotte 
where  her  tall,  critical  nephew  was  concerned,  and 
the  recollection  of  a  certain  expression  in  his  hazel 
eyes,  cold  as  steel,  made  her  suddenly  start  for  the 
staircase. 

She  determined  to  stand  well  with  Olin  at  what 
ever  cost,  and  rather  hoped  that  the  girls  would 
show  themselves  underbred  either  in  costume  or 
manners,  thereby  shocking  that  fastidious  young 
man  into  minding  his  own  business  henceforward. 

Josephine  had  but  just  soothed  Yemen's  wounded 
sensibilities  and  returned  to  the  empty  schoolroom, 
when  the  astonishing  apparition  of  her  opposite 
neighbor  came  up  out  of  the  rain. 

"  Why,  Miss  Norman  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  let 
me  take  your  umbrella; "  for  Charlotte  was  looking 


AGNES  NOBMAN'S  RECITAL.  119 

around  in  high-nosed  discomfort,  evidently  at  a 
loss  where  to  place  the  dripping  silk.  As  though 
with  malice  aforethought,  the  clouds  had  opened 
and  the  rain  descended  in  a  sudden  flood  a  moment 
before,  just  as  she  started  to  cross  the  street. 

"  The  storm  is  becoming  quite  fierce,"  she  de 
clared  with  evident  annoyance.  "  Thank  you, 
Miss  Ivison,  it  will  hardly  be  worth  while  for  me 
to  sit  down.  I  merely  called  to  ask  you  and  your 
sisters  to  go  with  me  to  a  concert  to-night." 

Miss  Norman's  manner  was  far  from  ingratiat 
ing,  but  Josephine  was  too  generous-hearted  to  be 
hypercritical  of  her  tone.  The  fact  that  Miss 
Charlotte  had  herself  come  out  in  all  this  rain  to 
invite  them  touched  the  sensitive  girl  with  grati 
tude.  She  was  eager  to  stand  on  friendly  terms 
with  a  woman  of  Miss  Norman's  age,  and  gladly 
welcomed  this  sign  that  her  neighbor  had  thought 
better  of  her  first  impressions  and  was  willing  to 
open  social  relations  with  them,  aside  from  busi 
ness. 

She  took  a  step  nearer.  "  I  thank  you  so  much, 
Miss  Norman,"  she  said  warmly,  "  and  so  will  my 
sisters ;  but  I  am  sorry  it  happens  that  we  have 
engaged  to  "  — 

Josephine  was  about  to  add  that  they  were  going 
to  the  recital  with  Dr.  Latimer,  but  Miss  Charlotte 
did  not  give  her  time. 

"  Oh,  if  you  are  engaged,  of  course  that  is  all 
right,"  she  interrupted,  making  the  fact  of  its 
entire  satisfactoriness  additionally  patent  by  her 


120  DR.  LATUIEE. 

altered  tone  and  the  little  laugh  of  evident  relief 
with  which  she  accompanied  her  words. 

Josephine,  conscious  of  a  shock  of  surprise, 
knew  not  whether  to  be  amused  or  vexed,  but  was 
not  obliged  to  speak,  for  her  visitor  talked  on. 

"  I  will  hurry  right  home,  I  think,  as  my  gar 
ments  are  so  wet  and  uncomfortable.  Moreover,  I 
have  yet  to  oversee  Dickie's  violin  practice  this 
afternoon.  We  allowed  him  to  begin  when  scarcely 
more  than  a  baby,  because  he  evinced  such  decided 
taste.  Good-afternoon,  Miss  Ivison.  Thank  you," 
receiving  her  silently  offered  umbrella,  "  the  rain 
seems  to  have  lessened  a  little  now.  A  —  remem 
ber  me  to  Miss  Helen.  ^oocZ-afternoon." 

"  Who  was  that  ?  "  asked  Helen,  coming  in  just 
as  the  door  closed. 

"Miss  Norman,"  replied  Josephine,  regarding 
her  sister  with  a  peculiar  expression. 

"  What  did  she  want  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know,"  answered  Josephine, 
laughing  at  last  at  the  recollection  of  the  short 
scene.  "  What  she  said  was  that  she  came  to  ask 
us  to  go  to  the  concert  with  her,  but  she  was  the 
most  delighted  woman  you  ever  saw  when  I  told 
her  we  could  n't." 

"  What  is  Jo  laughing  at  ?  v  asked  Vernon,  ap 
pearing  at  the  door,  full  of  curiosity. 

"  Why,  Miss  Norman  has  been  here  to  ask  us 
to  go  to  the  recital  with  her,"  explained  Helen, 
"  and  Josephine  thinks  she  did  a't  really  wish  us 
to  accept." 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  121 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,  my  dear.  She  left  her  regards 
/or  you  as  a  reward  of  merit.  One  might  as  well 
laugh  as  cry,  but  the  question  is,  What  does  she 
mean  by  it  ?  What  could  her  motive  have  been  ?  " 

"  I  saw  Mr.  Randolph  go  in  there  about  half 
an  hour  ago,"  remarked  Vernon.  "Perhaps  he 
brought  her  tickets." 

Josephine  stopped  laughing,  and  gazed  at  the 
youngest  with  a  look  that  penetrated  beyond  her. 

"  That  is  it,  of  course,"  she  exclaimed  at  length. 
"  Mr.  Randolph  put  her  up  to  it,  and  perhaps  in 
sisted  upon  her  inviting  us.  Why  in  the  world 
can't  that  man  let  us  alone  ?  " 

Josephine  looked  so  displeased  that  Helen  has 
tened,  as  was  her  wont,  to  pour  on  oil. 

"  I  am  sure  we  might  as  well  laugh  as  cry  about 
that"  she  said.  "  I  find  it  quite  entertaining  that 
such  a  swell  as  Mr.  Randolph  finds  time  to  take 
thought  for  us.  In  fact,  I  think  on  this  occasion 
he  did  something  very  kind,  provided  your  guess 
is  right." 

"  So  do  I,"  hazarded  Vernon,  not  quite  sure  but 
that  the  eldest  would  be  heated  to  the  danger-point 
by  this  opposition. 

"  I  call  him  an  impertinent  person,"  declared 
Josephine. 

"  Then  you  are  ungenerous,"  said  Helen.  "  Any 
body  could  see  that  if  he  suggested  his  aunt's  in 
viting  us  he  meant  well." 

"  People  that  mean  well  are  always  doing  clumsy 
things,"  returned  Josephine.  "  How  glad  I  am 


122  DR.   LATIMEE. 

we  were  really  engaged  and  could  refuse,"  and  her 
face  lighted  again  as  she  thought  of  the  evening. 

It  was  about  an  hour  afterward,  and  nearly 
time  to  sit  down  to  dinner,  when  a  boy  clattered 
up  the  stairs  and  left  a  large,  white  box  at  the 
girls'  door. 

Upon  examination  it  was  found  to  contain  roses, 
fresh,  crisp,  and  sweet,  and  many  and  eager  were 
the  exclamations  of  joy  that  greeted  it.  Close 
search  failed  to  reveal  a  card. 

"  Dr.  Latimer  would  know  that  his  name  would 
be  superfluous,"  said  Josephine,  lifting  an  Ameri 
can  Beauty  close  to  her  face  where  it  irradiated  her 
fine  pallor.  Her  dark  eyes  grew  soft  and  velvety. 

"  Now  girls,  you  see  he  expects  us  to  appear  as 
well  as  we  can.  We  must  do  our  best.  Never 
mind  the  rain." 

Helen  sighed  gently,  but  meekly  put  on  her 
best  gray  gown,  and  as  she  pinned  on  her  heavy 
roses  hoped  for  the  best,  although  the  rain  could 
be  heard  pitilessly  beating  on  the  flat  roof  over  her 
head. 

"  We  must  n't  keep  him  waiting,"  said  Jose 
phine  energetically.  "•'  Here,  Vernon  ;  let  me  look 
at  you." 

The  young  girl,  in  a  dress  of  golden-brown, 
somewhat  darker  than  her  hair,  and  a  hat  of  brown 
felt,  whose  tawny  feathers  were  the  pride  of  her 
heart,  stood  before  her  sister  with  a  face  as  fresh 
as  the  flowers  on  her  bosom. 

"What  a  pretty  thing  you  are!"  thought  the 


AGNES  NOE MAN'S  RECITAL.  123 

eldest,  but  she  said  nothing  as  she  gazed  non-com- 
mittally. 

"  Those  feathers  will  never  be  good  for  anything 
again,"  observed  Helen  in  a  last  faint  protest. 

"  Hush,  my  dear,  lie  still  and  slumber,"  re 
marked  Josephine.  "  I  suppose  I  'in  all  right,"  she 
added,  with  a  final  turn  toward  the  glass.  She 
was  arrayed  in  black,  which  was  her  habit.  "  In 
the  first  place,  I  am  old,"  she  was  wont  to  say, 
"  and  in  the  second  place,  I  have  to  be  outdoors 
too  much  to  have  anything  but  a  black  street 
dress." 

However,  she  had  the  natural  style  which  is 
grace  and  tastefulness  combined,  and  her  clothes, 
no  matter  how  plain,  suited  her. 

"You  always  look  the  best,"  replied  Yernon 
frankly,  "and  I  do  wish  you  could  always  have 
a  lot  of  red  roses  to  wear,  Jo.  When  Dr.  Latimer 
comes  he  will  say  to  himself  :  '  The  Empress  Jose 
phine  ! '  See  if  he  does  n't." 

"  It  will  be  a  little  difficult  to  see  what  he  is 
thinking,"  laughed  the  eldest ;  "  but  I  hope  he  will 
like  us." 

Dr.  Latimer  did  like  them  when,  a  few  minutes 
later,  he  stood  in  the  schoolroom  regarding  his 
charges.  Privately  he  was  astonished  to  see  the 
lavish  and  expensive  flowers  with  which  the  girls 
were  decked,  and  which  would  certainly  not  have 
appeared  in  such  proud  evidence  on  one  bosom  had 
Josephine  suspected  that  this  was  his  first  know 
ledge  of  them. 


124  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  We  're  all  ready,"  cried  Vernon,  at  sight  of 
him,  standing  tall  and  stately  under  the  light  from 
the  little  chandelier  which  fell  on  his  silvery  waves 
of  thick  hair  and  the  snowy  silk  that  was  folded 
across  his  chest  beneath  his  overcoat. 

"  A  great  virtue,"  he  responded  smiling. 

"  He  always  smiles  more  at  Vernon  than  at  us," 
thought  Josephine.  "  I  fancy  he  likes  kittens  bet 
ter  than  empresses,  but  it  is  too  late  for  me  to  be 
a  kitten  now." 

Vernon  looked  at  her  proudly  as  she  came  to 
greet  him. 

"  We  have  been  hoping  this  rain  would  stop," 
said  Helen,  "  but  I  hear  it  pattering  away  fast  as 
ever." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  doctor.  "  I  think  you  will 
not  get  wet,  though.  I  have  a  carriage,  and  with 
my  umbrella  we  shall  manage  very  well." 

The  relief  that  this  announcement  carried  to 
Helen's  heart !  She  had  been  picturing  their 
group  huddled  together  at  a  street-corner  waiting 
for  a  horse-car  that  would  n't  come,  while  the 
rain  trickled  in  rills  down  their  umbrellas  and  the 
dampness  performed  its  deadly  work  on  their 
finery. 

Now  Helen  told  herself  she  had  been  worse  than 
foolish.  It  was  impossible  to  conceive  that  Dr. 
Latimer  should  lead  any  one  into  circumstances  of 
discomfort  and  misfortune,  even  in  trivial  matters. 

As  for  Josephine  and  Vernon,  they  could  not  be 
happier,  so  one  by  one  the  three  were  piloted 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  125 

across  the  wet  sidewalk  and  seated  on  the  com 
fortable  cushions  of  the  carriage ;  the  doctor  took 
his  place  beside  Yernon  and  the  door  was  closed. 
Josephine  noticed  that  the  coachman  did  not  per 
form  this  operation  with  the  usual  slam,  and  it 
seemed  after  all  quite  natural  that  Dr.  Latimer's 
carriage-door  should  not  make  any  unnecessary 
noise. 

They  sped  along  smoothly  and  swiftly  to  their 
destination,  and  Josephine  was  too  deeply  content 
to  speak. 

Olin  Randolph  was  awaiting  his  aunt's  coming 
at  the  entrance  of  the  concert  hall  with  a  senti 
ment  of  interest,  which,  although  he  was  a  suffi 
ciently  dutiful  nephew,  had  not  always  been  so 
keen  under  similar  circumstances. 

At  last  she  entered  the  lobby,  and  although  she 
looked  unusually  well,  Olin's  brow  contracted  at 
sight  of  her. 

"Ah,  there  you  are,"  she  exclaimed  as  he  came 
forward.  "  I  drove  in  with  Agnes,  and  I  hope  you 
haven't  been  waiting  long." 

"  No  ;  but  where  are  the  young  ladies  ?  " 

"  Who  ?  "  Miss  Norman  looked  blank  for  an 
instant.  "  Oh,  you  mean  the  Misses  Ivison.  Yes, 
I  went  over  there  as  soon  as  you  were  gone,  and 
became  drenched,  too."  Miss  Charlotte's  gold  eye 
glasses  returned  her  nephew's  displeased  gaze  with 
the  boldness  of  conscious  integrity.  "  I  saw  the 
eldest  and  gave  my  invitation,  but  she  said  they 
were  engaged  for  this  evening." 


126  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  Indeed !     Was  it  an  excuse,  do  yon  think  ?  " 
"  Not  at    all."     Miss    Norman    shook  her  head 
emphatically.      "  She    seemed    sincerely    sorry   to 
refuse." 

"  Ah,  did  she  ?  "  brightening. 
"  Why,  of  course."  Miss  Charlotte  was  scan 
dalized  at  the  implication  that  her  attention  could 
be  slighted.  "  It  was  so  kind  of  you,  dear,"  she 
went  on,  "  to  send  us  these  beautiful  roses."  She 
touched  one  of  the  blushing  blossoms  she  was  wear 
ing.  "  Dr.  Latimer  always  sends  Agnes  flowers 
when  she  is  going  to  play,  but  she  was  so  pleased 
with  your  attention  that  she  is  going  to  carry  both 
to-night." 

"I  am  glad  you  like  them,"  answered  Olin 
shortly.  "  Shall  we  go  in  ?  " 

Not  Miss  Ivison  herself  was  more  content  than 
Miss  Norman  as  she  took  her  seat  beside  her 
adored  nephew,  enjoying  having  him  all  to  herself 
the  more  after  the  averted  danger  of  sharing  him 
with  three  others. 

She  looked  around  the  house  with  complacent 
satisfaction.  "  There  is  going  to  be  a  crowd, 
Olin,"  she  declared. 

He  said  something  in  reply,  which  his  aunt  lost, 
for  her  attention  was  suddenly  attracted  by  four 
persons  who  were  passing  along  a  neighboring 
aisle. 

"  What  ?  It  can't  be !  It  is  !  Olin  Randolph, 
Dr.  Latimer  has  brought  those  girls  to  the  con 
cert!" 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  127 

There  was  no  lack  of  interest  in  Mr.  Randolph's 
countenance  now.  Eagerly  following  Miss  Nor 
man's  glance,  he  saw  the  group  just  as  they  were 
filing  into  their  seats. 

"  Well,  that  beats  everything  yet !  "  ejaculated 
Miss  Charlotte. 

"  It  does,  —  that  is  a  fact,"  admitted  her  ne 
phew.  "  No  other  party  in  the  house  can  compare 
with  them." 

"  Nonsense.  I  don't  mean  that.  What  will  peo 
ple  think?" 

"  They  may  think  Dr.  Latimer  has  adopted 
three  daughters.  I  should  think  he  would  be 
tempted  to." 

"  Do  you  suppose  he  sent  them  those  flowers  ?  " 
pursued  Miss  Norman.  "  They  're  as  handsome  as 
mine." 

Her  nephew  had  good  reason  to  suppose  Dr. 
Latimer  innocent  of  the  attention,  so  did  not  haz 
ard  a  remark. 

"  I  do  not  believe  he  did ;  and  if  those  foolish, 
extravagant  girls  bought  them  they  have  done 
something  in  quite  as  bad  taste  as  I  expected." 

"  By  all  means  believe  them  guilty  until  they 
are  proved  innocent,"  remarked  Olin  dryly.  "  I 
wonder  you  send  your  hopeful  among  such  demor 
alizing  influences." 

"  There  is  no  occasion  for  you  to  be  severe,  Olin. 
I  simply  mean  that  one  must  n't  expect  old  heads 
on  young  shoulders,  and  that  it  stands  to  reason 
girls  with  no  one  to  guide  them  will  do  foolish 


128  DR.  LATIMER. 

things.     Well,  I  never  knew  Dr.  Latimer  to  evince 
his  philanthropy  in  that  manner  before." 

Meanwhile  the  objects  of  Miss  Charlotte's  curi 
ous  gaze  had  discovered  her,  and  bowrs  were  ex 
changed. 

Josephine's  quick  eyes  observed  the  three  sig 
nificant  vacant  chairs  beside  Miss  Norman,  also 
her  decoration  of  flowers  ;  noting  that  her  roses 
were  the  twins  of  their  own. 

She  called  Helen's  attention  to  the  fact,  and  the 
sisters  exchanged  a  startled  glance. 

"  How  silly,"  said  Helen  in  a  hasty  undertone. 
"  As  if  two  people  might  not  have  selected  the 
same  flower." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  replied  Josephine,  as  low 
but  warmly.  "  Dr.  Latimer  would  never  have 
chosen  these  great  staring  things  anyway."  Her 
hand  rose  quickly  to  her  breast. 

"  Josephine  Ivison,  stop  !  "  Helen,  like  all  gen 
tle  people,  was  usually  heeded  on  the  few  occasions 
when  she  became  imperious.  "  Mr.  Randolph  is 
looking  directly  at  us.  How  can  you  think  of 
doing  such  a  childish  thing ! ' 

"  Why  did  n't  we  realize  immediately  that  it  was 
he  ?  "  asked  the  other ;  but  her  hand  fell.  "  I  said 
something  feeble  to  Dr.  Latimer  about  the  beauty 
of  our  roses,  instead  of  thanking  him  outright,  or 
we  might  have  been  preserved  from  sitting  here 
like  an  animated  flower-show  all  the  evening  under 
that  supercilious  stare." 

This  was   manifestly   unjust,    as  Olin   had   re- 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  129 

moved  his  gaze  as  soon  as  he  had  bowed  to  these 
acquaintances. 

"  People  will  think  you  are  trying  to  be  an 
4  American  Beauty'  yourself,"  returned  Helen 
laughing,  "  unless  you  moderate  the  fireworks  in 
your  eyes  and  let  your  cheeks  grow  cool.  It  is  a 
pity  that  you  are  n't  sitting  next  the  doctor  instead 
of  Veriion.  The  usual  paralysis  seems  to  have 
seized  her,  and  I  think  a  little  repression  would  be 
blessed  to  you.  Oh,  there  is  Miss  Norman." 

The  slight  applause  in  the  house  swelled  to  a 
hearty  welcome  as  a  white-robed  woman  appeared 
on  the  stage. 

Josephine  forgot  her  annoyance  in  an  absorbing 
interest  in  the  famous  pianist,  and  found  herself 
applauding  with  the  rest  as  the  graceful  woman 
acknowledged  the  greeting. 

Miss  Norman  carried  a  large  bouquet  of  red  and 
white  roses,  which  she  laid  upon  the  piano  before 
she  took  her  seat  and  ran  her  fingers  over  the  keys. 

Instantly  the  house  became  hushed,  and  the 
movement  from  a  sonata,  with  which  the  pianist  be 
gan  her  programme,  fell  upon  profound  stillness. 

Helen  stole  a  glance  at  Miss  Charlotte.  She 
wore  the  same  absorbed  and  adoring  expression 
with  which  she  watched  Dickie  weave  mats.  Evi 
dently  where  Miss  Charlotte  gave  her  heart  she 
gave  it  without  reserve. 

The  programme  went  on  amid  alternations  on 
the  part  of  the  audience  of  absolute  silence  and 
that  peculiar  splitting  sound  of  spontaneous  ap- 


130  DR.  LATIMER. 

plause  which  is  high  tribute  to  a  performer.  A 
vocal  number  divided  the  first  half  of  the  evening 

o 

into  two  parts  and  then  came  an  intermission.  Dr. 
Latimer  leaned  forward  in  his  seat  and  caught  Jo 
sephine's  eye. 

"  Should  you  like  to  meet  Miss  Norman  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  I  am  not  sure.  You  know  best,"  she  added 
doubtfully. 

"  I  should  like  you  all  to  meet  her,"  said  the  doc 
tor,  and  a  moment  afterward,  Charlotte  Norman's 
curiosity  was  aroused  by  seeing  his  tall  figure,  fol 
lowed  by  the  three  girls,  move  up  the  aisle. 

"See  that,  Olin,"  she  remarked  triumphantly, 
"  it 's  just  as  I  expected.  I  imagine  Dr.  Latimer 
won't  try  that  again.  Those  girls  are  tired  of  it 
and  he  is  taking  them  home.  What  we  escaped  ! 
Is  n't  Agnes  outdoing  herself  to-night?  " 

Mr.  Randolph  looked  after  the  retreating  figures 
and  saw  them  turn  after  they  had  reached  the  out 
side  row  of  seats. 

"  I  think  he  is  taking  them  to  see  Aunt  Agnes," 
lie  said. 

Miss  Norman  turned  with  a  jerk  to  follow  his 
glance.  "  It  can't  be.  What  an  idea  !  Well,  if 
it  was  anybody  but  Dr.  Latimer  I  should  say  I 
never  heard  of  such  impertinence.  As  it  is,  he 
knows  very  well  Agnes  does  not  like  to  see  people 
during  intermission,  and  I  think  it  is  outrageous." 

"  Well,  Aunt  Agnes  can't  blame  you  for  it." 

"  You  don't  seem  to  see  the  point,"  responded 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  131 

Miss  Charlotte  impatiently.  *'  What  do  I  care 
whom  she  blames  ?  I  don't  want  her  fatigued  and 
annoyed  by  three  strange  girls  who  will  gush  over 
her,  —  just  what  she  dislikes  most.'' 

"  You  may  be  sure  Dr.  Latimer  knows  his 
ground,"  returned  Olin  coolly.  "  He  is  not  apt  to 
make  mistakes." 

The  doctor  led  his  charges  through  the  stage 
door  and  by  a  narrow  flight  of  steps  to  a  room 
where  the  star  of  the  evening  sat  chatting  with  a 
few  persons  whose  faces  were  familiar  in  Boston's 
musical  circles. 

At  sight  of  Dr.  Latimer  she  rose,  and  the  doc 
tor,  after  bowing  to  the  others  of  the  group,  took 
her  offered  hand. 

She  looked  beyond  him  with  a  gracious  glance 
at  his  companions.  "  These  are  the  young  ladies 
you  told  me  of,"  she  said. 

Dr.  Latimer  introduced  the  girls  and  she  shook 
hands  with  each  in  an  informal  and  cordial  manner. 

"  We  have  been  neighbors  a  long  time,"  she 
said.  "  It  is  time  we  met.  Your  fame  has  pre 
ceded  you,  I  assure  you.  Miss  Helen  and  Miss 
Veriion  are  household  words  with  our  little  boy. 
I  believe  you,  Miss  Ivisoii,"  turning  to  Josephine, 
"  come  into  the  city  every  day  like  myself.  It  is 
a  wonder  we  have  n't  learned  one  another's  faces 
on  the  cars  before  this." 

"  I  suppose  our  hours  are  different,"  replied  Jose 
phine.  "  I  have  to  take  an  early  start  every  day." 

"  I  wish  we  might  meet  that  way,"  continued 


132  DR.  LATIMER. 

Miss  Norman,  "  for  it  is  very  nearly  my  only  op 
portunity  to  visit  with  my  friends." 

"  I  know  you  must  be  fully  occupied.  I  shall 
be  tempted  to  miss  a  car  or  two  sometimes  after 
this  to  try  to  take  yours.  It  would  be  a  pleasure 
to  me,"  replied  Josephine,  her  tone  adding  empha 
sis  to  her  words. 

"  Dr.  Latimer  was  so  kind  to  bring  us  to-night," 
said  Helen.  "  We  never  heard  you  play  before, 
and  it  is  a  year  since  we  have  heard  any  good 
music." 

Her  transparent  face  shone  with  happiness  as 
she  spoke,  and  indeed  Miss  Norman  seldom  re 
ceived  more  acceptable  flattery  than  that  shining 
from  the  three  pairs  of  honest  girlish  eyes  bent 
upon  her. 

Dr.  Latimer,  standing  by,  watching  the  group, 
received  a  smile  from  her.  "  Thank  you  for  my 
lovely  roses,  doctor.  Do  you  see  I  am  carrying  red 
ones  with  them  to-night  ?  Olin  was  moved  to  an 
extraordinary  bit  of  attentiveness,  and  I  could  not 
slight  his  gift." 

Josephine  followed  her  gesture  and  observed  the 
mass  of  roses  she  indicated.  The  delicate  blossoms 
that  lay  among  the  splendid  glow  of  the  richer 
roses  were  Dr.  Latimer's  gift,  then.  The  girl  again 
felt  resentful,  and  it  occurred  to  her  that  Mr.  Kan- 
dolph  must  have  gone  to  a  florist  and  ordered  the 
contents  of  an  entire  rosehouse.  She  felt  as  though 
she  and  her  sisters  were  branded  with  his  mark  and 
that  Miss  Norman  must  recognize  it. 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  RECITAL.  133 

"  We  must  not  detain  you  longer,  Agnes,"  said 
Dr.  Latimer,  "  and  I  advise  you  to  dismiss  all  your 
friends.  The  rest  of  your  programme  is  exact 
ing." 

Miss  Norman  parted  graciously  from  the  girls, 
and  Josephine  went  back  to  her  seat  with  a  strong 
personal  interest  in  this  charming  sister  of  Miss 
Charlotte.  She  speculated  concerning  her  age, 
which  she  guessed  was  about  forty,  and  dwelt  upon 
her  gracious  and  pleasing  manner.  As  she  listened 
to  the  following  numbers  performed  by  the  pianist, 
it  was  not  so  much  Miss  Norman's  delicacy,  power, 
correctness,  and  artistic  feeling  which  held  this  lis 
tener,  as  the  fact  that  Dr.  Latimer  had  called  her 
Agnes,  and  sent  her  white  roses. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DR.    LATIMER   ENTERTAINS. 

HELEN  and  Vernon  had  shared  a  sleeping-room 
since  the  engaging  of  a  servant,  and  that  evening 
the  youngest  waited  until  Josephine's  door  was 
safely  closed  before  she  turned  to  her  sister  with  a 
large-eyed  and  confidential  expression. 

"  Dr.  Latimer  never  sent  us  our  roses  at  all," 
she  announced  in  a  hushed  and  portentous  tone. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"He  said  so  when  I  thanked  him  for  mine. 
You  and  Josephine  were  talking  so  busily  you 
did  n't  notice,  and  I  begged  him  not  to  say  any 
thing,  for  I  knew  Josephine  would  be  piping  if  she 
suspected  that " 

"That  what?"  Helen  met  her  sister's  gaze  as 
she  paused,  with  an  amused  expression. 

Vernon  smiled  and  her  eyes  danced  with  pleas 
ure.  "  Why,  I  suspect  somebody,  don't  you  ?  " 

"Yes;  so  does  Josephine." 

"  No  !  And  did  n't  cast  the  flowers  from  her  and 
dance  on  them  in  the  aisle  ?  I  can't  believe  it." 

"  Yes,  she  suspected  our  mistake,  and  so  did  I  as 
soon  as  we  saw  what  Miss  Norman  was  wearing; 
but  of  course  we  could  n't  be  sure." 


DE.  LATINEE  ENTERTAINS.  135 

"  No,  and  that  I  suppose  explains  Josephine's 
moderation ;  but  you  're  sure  now,  are  n't  you  ?  " 
added  Vernon  triumphantly. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  and  I  think  Josephine  felt  pretty 
certain,  too." 

"  Then  what  do  you  suppose  she  has  done  with 
her  roses.  I  '11  warrant  they  're  not  in  her  room 
with  her."  Vernon  took  a  lighted  candle  and  went 
into  the  dining-room. 

Helen  could  hear  her  softly  prowling  about,  and 
presently  she  returned  with  a  handful  of  blossoms 
which  were  hanging  their  lovely  heads  dejectedly. 

"  Just  as  I  expected,"  she  announced.  "  She 
had  dumped  them  on  a  chair  in  the  schoolroom. 
Give  me  yours  and  I  will  float  them  all  together." 

But  the  speaker  did  not  suit  the  action  exactly 
to  the  word.  One  of  the  roses  she  had  worn  was 
not  permitted  to  lie  with  its  sisters  in  the  bowl  of 
refreshing  water.  Instead,  it  was  placed,  at  a  mo 
ment  when  Helen  was  not  looking,  in  a  certain  box 
in  Vernon' s  drawer. 

"  Dr.  Latimer  said  he  could  not  allow  you  and 
Josephine  to  give  him  thanks  which  he  did  not  de 
serve,  and  I  thought  he  looked  a  little  surprised 
when  I  asked  him  not  to  undeceive  you  just 
then ! " 

"I  wonder  if  he  suspected  Mr.  Randolph?" 
queried  Helen. 

"  He  must  have,  after  we  found  Miss  Agnes 
carrying  the  same  sort  as  her  sister  and  ourselves. 
He  knows  Mr.  Bruch  could  n't  have  done  it." 


136  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  No,  indeed,  poor  man,"  sighed  Helen  gently. 

"  And  there  is  n't  anybody  else,  worse  luck," 
continued  Veriioii.  "  What  fun  it  must  be  for 
those  girls  who  are  receiving  flowers  all  the  time." 

"  Well,  how  did  you  satisfy  Dr.  Latimer  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  promised  to  tell  you  both  later.  I  fancy 
he  knew  I  was  afraid  of  Josephine,  for  I  stuttered 
and  stammered  when  I  tried  to  say  something 
about  her  in  connection  with  the  matter.  Then  I 
thought  to  explain  things  a  little  for  Mr.  Randolph, 
so  I  told  the  doctor  how  Miss  Norman  came  over 
to  invite  us  and  how  strangely  she  acted,  and  I 
imagine  he  saw  through  the  whole  thing.  I  think 
it  is  real  romantic,  Helen,  don't  you  ? "  added 
Vernon  delightedly. 

Helen  laughed.  "  A  nice,  safe,  impartial,  three- 
cornered  sort  of  romantic  —  yes,"  she  answered. 

"Well,"  said  Vernon,  laughing  too,  but  not 
derisively,  "  don't  you  know  there  usually  are  three 
princesses  in  a  fairy  tale  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  one  is  always  phenomenally  ugly  and 
in  league  with  bad  fairies,  and  I  object  to  filling 
that  role." 

"  You  —  you  little  dear !  Oh,  Josephine  can  do 
that  all  right.  I  'm  not  certain  that  fire  and  smoke 
are  n't  issuing  from  her  nostrils  now  if  she  is  re 
flecting  upon  Mr.  Randolph's  nerve." 

"  Nerve  is  slang,  Vernon,  and  princesses  never 
use  it." 

"  Don't  you  think  he  looks  and  moves  like  a 
prince,  Helen  ?  " 


DR.   LATIMEE  ENTERTAINS.  137 

"  Never  saw  one,"  replied  Helen  sleepily,  turn 
ing  over  on  her  pillow. 

"  Well,  is  n't  Olin  a  lovely  name  ?  Does  n't  it 
make  you  think  of  the  viking  Norsemen,  big  and 
broad,  who  might  have  been  his  ancestors  ?  " 

u  I  guess  you  are  thinking  of  Odin ;  but  he  looks 
cold  enough,"  murmured  Helen  through  her  nose, 
"  to  have  descended  from  an  iceberg." 

"  But  that  is  just  the  beauty  of  him,  —  don't  you 
think  so  ?  Pshaw !  "  after  waiting  a  moment  in 
vain  for  a  reply.  "  She  is  asleep.  Never  mind,  I 
am  the  youngest  princess,  and  all  the  nicest  things 
always  happen  to  her,"  and  with  this  consoling  re 
flection  Vernon,  too,  composed  herself  for  slumber 
and  was  soon  in  the  land  of  dreams. 

After  this  evening  followed  many  monotonous 
days  at  the  little  flat.  The  weather  was  disagree 
able  with  wind  and  rain.  Some  of  the  children 
were  detained  at  home  by  reason  of  it,  and  the  rest 
had  to  be  employed  indoors  throughout  the  session. 
Josephine,  who  enjoyed  her  work  less  than  Helen 
did  hers,  came  home  in  sober  mood  at  night,  and 
all  three  sisters  had  less  heart  than  usual  for  the 
daily  read  and  talk  around  the  evening  lamp. 

Not  since  his  unsuccessful  attempt  at  making  a 
cat's-paw  of  his  aunt  had  Mr.  Randolph  made  any 
overtures  toward  the  girls,  who,  with  the  exception 
of  the  youngest,  gave  little  thought  to  him.  Mr. 
Bruch  was  ill  with  a  cold.  Dr.  Latimer,  too,  had 
remained  away.  Miss  Charlotte  had  not  visited 
the  kindergarten,  and  Josephine  had  not  happened 
on  Agnes  Norman's  horse-car. 


138  DE.  LATIMER. 

Altogether,  the  girls  were  quite  ready  to  appre 
ciate  a  break  in  the  monotony  of  their  existence, 
when  an  invitation  arrived  bidding  them  to  dine 
on  a  certain  evening  with  Dr.  Latimer. 

Helen  was  the  only  one  of  the  three  who  had 
seen  the  interior  of  the  doctor's  house,  and  it  was 
with  an  almost  reverent  curiosity  that  Josephine 
approached  the  square  stone  building,  set  back 
from  the  street  in  the  roomy  inclosure  where  it  had 
been  erected  more  than  fifty  years  before. 

Vernon  was  wishing  that  Mr.  Randolph  might 
have  been  invited,  but  she  kept  that  reflection  to 
herself.  He  had  evidently  forgotten  their  ex 
istence.  It  would  have  been  so  easy  for  him  to 
run  over  on  some  of  those  occasions  when  he  visited 
the  Normans,  but  he  never  did  so,  and  as  her  sis 
ters  did  not  seem  to  miss  him  she  would  be  discreet 
enough  not  to  let  it  appear  that  she  did. 

Dr.  Latimer  met  his  guests  at  the  door  and  gave 
them  into  the  charge  of  a  maid,  who  led  them  up 
stairs  to  a  sleeping-room  to  remove  their  wraps. 
Josephine  looked  about  her  with  a  sensation  of 
having  every  expectation  fulfilled.  The  delicate 
neatness,  the  harmonious  coloring,  belonged  to  the 
home  which,  the  doctor  would  create.  Below-stairs 
there  were  fine  paintings  and  etchings,  pure  mar 
bles  and  rare  articles  of  vertu.  The  fire  that  lent 
its  glow  to  the  room  burned  for  Josephine  upon 
an  altar.  The  quiet  and  restfulness  of  the  house 
seemed  to  her  a  tangible  charm,  the  more  powerful 
that  she  knew  how  rarely  its  owner  enjoyed  it. 


DR.  LATIMEE  ENTERTAINS.  139 

She  had  learned  from  several  sources  how  great 
a  part  of  his  life  was  spent  among  scenes  which 
needed  the  disarming  and  consoling  peace  of  his 
presence,  and  knew  that  although  wealth  was  rep 
resented  in  these  surroundings  to  which  he  with 
drew  for  recuperation,  much  greater  wealth  was 
expended  in  personal  effort  to  right  wrong  and 
uplift  the  fallen. 

The  host's  pleasure  in  the  presence  of  his  guests 
was  unmistakable.  It  shone  in  his  eyes  as  he 
quietly  welcomed  them  again  when  they  entered 
the  parlor  and  asked  them  how  they  had  fared 
since  he  last  saw  them. 

"  I  have  been  too  busy  of  late  to  come  to  see 
you,"  he  said,  when  Helen  had  given  him  as  cheer 
ful  an  account  as  she  could,  "  and  the  weather  has 
been  so  persistently  wet  that  I  finally  succumbed 
to  a  cough  which  kept  me  a  prisoner  for  a  day  or 
two  and  for  which  I  am  in  Persis'  bad  graces." 
The  doctor  smiled  and  the  color  fluctuated  in  his 
cheeks.  "  We  do  not  always  agree  as  to  my  duty, 
but  when  I  at  last  thought  of  this  means  of  cheer 
ing  my  imprisonment  she  was  good  enough  to  ac 
cede  to  my  plan  very  willingly." 

"  We  did  not  know  you  were  ill,"  returned 
Josephine  anxiously,  perceiving  for  the  first  time 
through  the  irradiation  of  his  countenance  that 
there  were  hollows  under  his  eyes,  and  realizing  for 
the  first  time  the  slightness  of  his  physique.  A 
sort  of  panic  seized  her.  Supposing,  in  the  vague 
language  of  apprehensive  hearts,  "  anything  were 
to  happen  to  "  Dr.  Latimer  ! 


140  DR.  LATIMEE. 

But  lie  was  shaking  his  head.  "  I  have  had  no 
illness  of  any  account,  —  just  enough  to  give  me  a 
holiday  in  my  library  while  I  kept  the  peace  with 
Persis  by  remaining  in-doors.  Vernon,  do  you  like 
to  look  at  pictures  ?  " 

It  was  the  first  time  the  speaker  had  dropped  the 
prefix  from  one  of  the  girls'  names,  but  Josephine 
was  the  only  one  who  noticed  it,  —  noticed  it  with 
envy  of  the  favored  youngest. 

Upon  Vernon's  assenting,  the  host  led  her  to  a 
broad  bay-window  at  the  rear  of  the  room  where 
stood  a  table  with  portfolios  of  views. 

"  You  can  visit  several  countries  by  means  of 
these,"  he  said.  "  Just  make  a  choice." 

But  at  this  moment  there  was  a  rustle  at  the 
door,  and,  looking  up,  Dr.  Latimer  saw  Mr.  Bruch's 
military  figure  and  genial  countenance.  "  Excuse 
me  a  minute,"  he  said,  and  advanced  to  welcome 
the  newcomer. 

"  Ah,  doctor,  this  is  the  first  place  where  I  find 
sunshine  in  one  week,"  declared  the  German  as 
they  shook  hands ;  "  and  here  are  the  young  la 
dies."  Mr.  Bruch  greeted  Josephine  and  Helen, 
and  then  politely  sought  Vernon  in  her  remote  sit 
uation  before  returning  to  his  host. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  able  to  be  out  again,"  said 
Josephine.  "  They  have  had  a  hard  time  without 
you  at  school." 

"Yes,  I  know ;  but  my  throat  was  so  sore  as  it 
could  be,"  replied  the  professor.  "  I  will  be  more 
careful  now." 


DR.  LATIMER  ENTERTAINS.  141 

"  We  have  missed  you,  too,"  said  Helen  gently. 

"  You  are  so  kind,"  returned  Mr.  Bruch  eagerly 
and  gratefully.  "  It  seems  one  year  that  I  do  not 
go  to  your  house." 

But  now  something  occurred  which  astonished 
the  sisters  in  varying  degree  and  kind.  Miss  Char 
lotte  Norman,  Miss  Agnes  Norman,  and  Mr.  Kan- 
dolph  entered  the  room.  A  twinge  of  disappoint 
ment  seized  Josephine.  It  was  then  not  true,  as  she 
had  supposed,  that  Dr.  Latimer  had  invited  herself 
and  her  sisters  to  a  cozy  meal.  The  affair  had 
stretched  to  the  dimensions  of  a  dinner-party.  It 
did  not  occur  to  her  then  that  the  host,  with  very 
little  thought  of  himself  in  the  matter,  might  have 
arranged  to  bring  the  neighbors  into  more  social 
relations  for  the  girls'  good  ;  but  she  rebuked  her 
self  for  egotism,  and  perceiving  at  once  in  Miss 
Charlotte's  candid  countenance  that  the  surprise  of 
this  meeting  was  mutual,  she  arose  and  assuming  a 
neutral  expression  waited  for  her  cue. 

Miss  Norman  hesitated,  and  Agnes  passed  her 
and  crossed  to  Josephine. 

"  How  good  this  is  of  the  doctor,"  she  said,  mak 
ing  it  evident  that  she  was  pleased ;  "  for  you  and 
I  have  found  horse-car  visiting  a  failure,  have  n't 
we?" 

Josephine  responded  brightly ;  the  film  of  ice 
was  broken,  and  general  greetings  were  inter 
changed. 

Dr.  Latimer  before  the  evening  of  Miss  Nor 
man's  recital  had  visited  her  at  her  music-room, 


142  DR-  LATIMER. 

and,  asking  permission  to  introduce  the  girls,  had 
declared  his  interest  in  them  with  the  effect  to  en 
list  the  busy  woman's  good-will. 

Dr.  Latimer  shook  hands  cordially  with  Olin, 
whom  he  had  not  met  since  the  evening  at  the 
Ivisons'. 

"  Is  this  a  reward  for  virtuous  conduct  ? "  in 
quired  the  young  man  imperturbably. 

"  You  know  best  as  to  that,"  replied  the  host. 
Olin  smiled  ;  then,  advancing,  bowed  formally 
to  Josephine  and  Helen  and  entered  into  conversa 
tion  with  Bruch. 

"  Does  n't  he  care  whether  I  'm  here  or  not  ?  " 
thought  Vernon,  gazing  at  a  view  of  Unter  den 
Linden  and  listening  for  a  step  which  she  consid 
ered  should  by  this  time  be  turned  in  her  direction. 
At  last  curiosity  overcame  pride  and  she  looked 
into  the  other  room.  Dr.  Latiiner  observed  her. 

"Here  are  some  more  friends,  Vernon,"  he  said. 
"  You  shall  go  back  to  your  pictures  presently  ;  " 
and  the  girl  rose  perforce  and  came  forward. 

"Well,  I  never  !  "  thought  Miss  Charlotte,  not 
ing  the  familiar  address  and  fixing  her  gold  eye 
glasses  upon  her  nose  to  look  at  the  youngest  with 
new  curiosity.  From  Vernon  her  gaze  was  trans 
ferred  to  Josephine,  then  in  turn  to  Helen. 

They  were  three  neatly  dressed,  pleasant-looking 
girls,  she  thought,  and  appeared  at  ease  in  the 
present  surroundings. 

Dr.  Latimer  was  smiling  upon  Vernon  with  what 
a  stranger  might  have  guessed  to  be  fatherly  affec- 


DR.   LA  TIMER  ENTERTAINS.  143 

tion.  Agnes  was  chatting  to  Josephine  as  if  to 
an  old  friend.  It  all  ruffled  Miss  Charlotte,  who 
instinctively  recoiled  from  intimate  relations  with 
people  whose  immediate  ancestors  were  not  either 
present  or  accounted  for.  Even  Dr.  Latimer's  seal 
of  approval  was  not  wholly  sufficient  for  her.  He 
was  only  a  man  after  all,  and  could  not  be  expected 
to  know  as  a  woman  would  where  to  draw  the  line 
in  his  kind  treatment  of  these  strangers. 

She  suddenly  found  Helen  smiling  at  her. 
"What  a  gentle,  frank  face  the  girl  had  !  What  a 
smooth,  open  brow  !  An  excellent  face  for  a  kin- 
clergartner.  Miss  Charlotte  approved  of  Helen  so 
heartily  in  her  proper  sphere  that  even  now  her 
countenance  softened  a  little  and  the  girl  crossed 
over  and  took  a  seat  near  her. 

"  Did  Dickie  get  wet  going  home  to-day  ?  "  she 
asked.  "  I  saw  him  walk  through  a  puddle  and 
rapped  on  the  window  at  him,  but  he  is  so  proud  of 
his  high  rubber  boots  he  likes  to  make  use  of 
them." 

"  Yes,  he  came  in  rather  muddy,"  replied  Miss 
Norman,  "  but  I  suppose  boys  will  be  boys." 

"  And  so  will  girls,  when  it  comes  to  a  mud-pud 
dle,"  laughed  Helen.  "  I  always  dread  to  see  the 
water  gather  in  the  street,  for  I  know  all  my  chil 
dren  will  want  to  get  their  feet  into  it  before  they 
go  home.  I  presume,"  looking  up  at  Olin,  who 
had  drawn  near,  "that  stage  of  life  has  not  en 
tirely  passed  from  your  memory,  Mr.  Randolph  ?  " 

"  I  deny  that  I  ever  had  such  an  affinity  for 


144  DR.  LATIMER. 

dirt  as  Dickie,"  returned  Olin.  "  I  saw  you  at 
my  aunt's  recital,  Miss  Ivison.  What  a  pleasant 
occasion  it  was." 

"  I  can't  tell  you  how  we  enjoyed  it,"  replied 
Helen,  "  for  you  are  never  so  music-hungry  as  we 
were  and  you  could  n't  understand.  I  have  never 
had  an  opportunity,  Miss  Norman,  to  thank  you  for 
inviting  us  that  day." 

Charlotte  glanced  up  at  her  nephew,  but  his  im 
passive  face  suggested  nothing.  "  Mr.  Randolph 
deserves  the  thanks  for  that  invitation,"  she  re 
turned. 

"  Indeed  ?  Then  please  accept  them,  Mr.  Ran 
dolph,"  said  Helen. 

Olin  bowed  without  speaking. 

"  Does  n't  that  explain,  then,"  added  the  girl, 
meeting  his  eyes  frankly,  "  the  very  pleasant  mys 
tery  of  the  beautiful  roses  we  received  that  day  ?  " 

Miss  Norman  looked  from  her  nephew  to  Helen 
and  back  again. 

Olin  bowed,  and  although  he  was  an  unsmiling 
young  man  a  smile  came  upon  his  lips  by  reason  of 
the  exceeding  and  stony  amazement  with  which  his 
aunt  was  regarding  him. 

"  I  managed  that  rather  clumsily,"  he  said,  "  but 
my  excuse  is  that  I  was  in  great  haste  that  day. 
I  had  no  intention  of  being  anonymous,  but  I 
did  n't  happen  to  have  a  card  with  me,  and  I  sup 
posed  we  should  meet  in  the  evening." 

"  We  thank  you  so  much,"  returned  Helen,  the 
more  hurriedly  that  her  sensitive  conscience 


DR.  LATINEE  ENTERTAINS.  145 

pricked  her  for  tlius  including1  Josephine  ;  then 
she  added  to  make  her  statement  more  truthful : 
"  Vernon  and  I  took  the  greatest  care  of  the  flow 
ers,  and  kept  them  alive  as  long  as  we  could." 

Miss  Norman  remained  speechless.  Had  all  her 
world  gone  crazy  about  these  girls  and  she  alone 
remained  sane  ?  A  mortifying  conviction  seized 
her  that  her  own  and  Agnes'  roses  were  only  given 
that  Olin  might  have  excuse  for  the  attention  to 
these  others.  "  Oh  well,"  she  thought,  to  console 
herself,  "  I  suppose  young  men  in  these  days  send 
flowers  to  young  women  on  all  occasions." 

It  was  a  relief  to  her  that  now  dinner  was  an 
nounced. 

Dr.  Latimer's  dining-room  and  table,  the  way 
the  latter  was  arranged  and  the  manner  in  which 
the  dinner  was  served,  were  all  characteristic  of 
the  tastes  of  the  host. 

Persis  was  wont  to  say  that  although  the  doctor 
did  not  believe  in  eating  for  himself,  he  believed 
everybody  else  should  eat,  and  when  he  enter 
tained  his  friends  he  entertained  them  well. 

After  the  company  were  seated  at  the  table  Dr. 
Latimer  bowed  his  head  and  offered  this  brief 
petition :  — 

"  Bless  to  our  use,  O  Lord,  what  Thy  bounty 
hath  provided,  and  give  us  thankful  hearts. 
Amen." 

The  girls  were  to  eat  many  meals  with  their 
host  hereafter,  and  some  whose  frugality  would  be 
in  strong  contrast  to  the  delicate  feast  of  to-day, 


146  DR.  LATIMER. 

but  always  the  quiet  fervor  of  that  blessing,  end 
ing  with  "  and  give  us  thankful  hearts,"  seemed 
to  make  aught  but  thankfulness  ignoble  and  to 
hallow  the  simplest  fare. 

"  You  have  not  done  right,  doctor,  to  keep  it 
from  us  that  you  were  ill,"  said  Miss  Charlotte, 
who  sat  at  the  host's  right  hand. 

"  It  was  nothing  of  any  importance,"  he  rejoined. 

Miss  Norman  shook  her  head  incredulously. 
"  Persis  told  me  you  had  had  fever  when  she  was 
over  yesterday." 

"  Persis  often  makes  much  ado  about  nothing 
when  she  can  find  a  sympathetic  ear.  She  does 
not  quite  dare  to  scold  me  as  much  as  she  wishes, 
so  my  friends  are  victims  of  the  overflow  of  her 
feelings.  I  confess  that  time  has  seemed  long, 
and  there  have  been  evenings  the  last  week  when 
I  have  thought  with  favor  of  recent  theories  con 
cerning  the  therapeutic  value  of  music." 

The  speaker  looked. at  Agnes. 

"  Why  did  n't  you  send  for  me  ? "  she  asked 
reproachfully.  "  You  know  I  am  comparatively 
at  leisure  now  in  the  evening,  and  I  would  always 
rather  play  for  you  than  not  when  I  can." 

"  I  thought  it  a  great  deal  to  ask." 

Agnes  gave  him  an  expressive  look. 

"  This  is  the  lady  that  Miss  Ivison  tells  me  of," 
said  Mr.  Bruch,  turning  his  spectacles  upon  Agnes, 
"  who  plays  upon  the  piano  and  upon  the  hearts  of 
the  Boston  public." 

44  The   very  same,"  returned   the  doctor,  "  and 


DR.  LATIMER  ENTERTAINS.  147 

she  has  emboldened  me  so  much  during  the  last 
five  minutes  that  I  shall  dare  ask  her  to  show  you 
this  evening  how  she  does  it." 

Agnes  shook  her  head.  "Dr.  Latimer  only 
needs  emboldening  when  the  question  is  one  of  his 
own  private  pleasure,"  she  said.  "  However,  he 
knows  that  this  is  the  time  of  year  when  I  am 
most  good-natured.  Is  n't  it  so,  doctor?  " 

"  Yes.  Miss  Norman's  heart  is  in  the  home 
where  she  spends  her  summers,  Mr.  Bruch.  It  is 
a  little  island  off  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  because 
she  knows  that  next  month  the  rolling  fields  will 
be  carpeted  with  violets  and  strawberry  blossoms, 
and  almost  ready  to  receive  her,  she  begins  to  feel 
jubilant." 

"Mr.  Randolph  is  getting  ready  to  say  some 
thing  crushing,"  observed  Agnes,  looking  at  her 
nephew;  then  turning  to  Josephine,  who  was 
seated  next  her,  she  added  explanatorily :  "  Mr. 
Randolph  despises  this  '  rocky,  sterile,  desert 
isle,'  as  he  is  pleased  to  term  my  paradise." 

"  Indeed  ?  Then  where  is  the  island  he  is  so  en 
thusiastic  about  ?  I  thought  it  was  the  one  where 
you  had  your  cottage." 

Olin  became  suddenly  deaf,  and  passed  the 
olives  to  Vernon,  who  was  his  next  neighbor. 

"  No,  indeed,  it  can't  be  ours.  Why,  Olin, 
have  you  set  up  an  island,  too  ?"  asked  his  aunt. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  ?  "  Mr.  Randolph  bent 
toward  the  speaker  with  his  blankest,  most  impen 
etrable  expression. 


148  DE.   LATIMER. 

"  Miss  Ivison  tells  me  there  is  an  island  dear  to 
your  heart." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Randolph,  have  you  forgotten  the 
photographs  you  showed  us  ?  "  suggested  Vernon, 
with  the  friendly  desire  to  jog  an  apparently 
latent  memory.  "  I  have  n't  forgotten  that  pretty 
wood  road,  where  you  said  the  air  was  so  sweet, 
and  the  coves  that  you  described  as  so  pictur 
esque,  and  the  social  ixnv  of  cottages,  with  Dr. 
Latimer's  in  the  middle." 

"  Why,  it  is  our  island,"  said  Agnes,  laughing 
and  gazing  with  merry,  curious  eyes  at  her  non 
committal  nephew.  "  I  think  Mr.  Randolph  must 
have  been  enjoying  his  own  eloquence,  Miss  Ver- 
non.  Olin,"  she  continued,  "  I  remember  one 
occasion  when  you  were  a  small  boy,  when  you 
told  a  fib  and  your  mother  talked  to  you  long  and 
seriously  on  the  subject.  At  last  you  were  in  a 
properly  contrite  frame  of  mind,  and,  anxious  to 
agree  with  your  mother's  views,  you  observed 
tearfully  :  '  I  have  always  heard  that  honesty  is 
next  to  policy ! '  Are  you  of  that  opinion  still, 
and  if  so,  what  was  your  policy  in  this  instance  ?  " 

She  paused  and  regarded  him  mischievously. 

"  The  island  is  a  very  pleasant  place,"  returned 
Mr.  Randolph  calmly.  "When  you  and  Aunt 
Charlotte  are  about,  the  air  is  so  heavy  with  su 
perlatives  that  I  do  what  I  can  to  clear  the  atmos 
phere,  but " 

"It  won't  do,  Olin,"  interrupted  his  aunt. 
"  You  are  arranging  matters,  as  summer  ap- 


DR.  LATIMER  ENTERTAINS.  149 

proaches,  to  be  invited  to  the  Nautilus  ;  but  this 
sudden  change  of  heart  is  suspicious.  I  will  not 
have  you." 

"  Pardon  me.  You  did  not  allow  me  to  finish. 
I  was  about  to  observe  that  the  island  is  a  charm 
ing  spot  when  one  regards  it  from  Boston.  A 
nearer  view  is  (Disenchanting." 

Agnes  laughed,  and  Dr.  Latimer  smiled  at  his 
plate. 

During  the  evening  Miss  Norman  did  play  for 
the  assembled  company,  and  altogether  the  occa 
sion  was  one  which  the  girls  sat  up  late  discussing 
after  they  reached  home. 

"  I  have  a  conundrum  to  ask,"  announced  Yer- 
non,  as  they  sat  around  the  dying  embers  in  the 
schoolroom.  "  Why  did  n't  Dr.  Latimer  and 
Miss  Agnes  Norman  marry  each  other  long 
ago?"  ' 

"  Everybody  in  the  world  does  n't  have  to  be 
married,"  returned  Josephine  quickly. 

"  I  confess  I  thought  of  it,"  remarked  Helen 
reflectively.  "  They  are  just  the  right  age  for 
each  other,  and  it  is  evident  that  they  are  close 
and  old  friends.  Do  you  remember  when  he  was 
seized  with  that  spasm  of  coughing  and  had  to 
leave  the  room  ?  I  happened  to  be  talking  with 
Miss  Agnes  and  she  immediately  interrupted  me, 
unconsciously,  I  know,  and  began  to  say  how  anx 
ious  it  made  all  the  doctor's  friends  to  have  him 
ill,  and  although  she  pretended  to  rub  her  eyes  I 
saw  that  tears  had  started  in  them." 


150  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  is  a  widower  or  a  bachelor," 
mused  Vernon.  "  I  mean  to  ask  Persis." 

"  No,  you  must  not,  Vernon,"  said  Josephine. 
"  It  would  n't  be  proper,  really,  to  show  any  such 
curiosity  about  a  man  who  has  been  so  extraordi 
narily  kind  to  us.  See  how  he  works  for  our 
interest.  Miss  Agnes  Norman  would  not  be  so 
cordial  but  for  him.  I  should  n' .,  wonder  if  he 
gave  that  dinner  to-night  to  place  us  socially  a 
little  higher  in  Miss  Charlotte's  opinion.  lie 
brought  Mr.  Bruch  in  because  he  knew  Miss  Agnes 
was  in  a  way  to  know  of  students  who  might  want 
German  lessons.  I  am  sure  of  that,  because  he 
recommended  his  work  to  her  in  my  hearing." 

"  And  how  well  she  talked  German  to  Mr. 
Bruch,"  observed  Helen.  "  It  is  hard  not  to  envy 
such  an  accomplished  being  as  she  is.  "  Still,  she 
has  earned  it  all  by  hard  work." 

"  Yes,  but  circumstances  permitted  her  to  rise," 
said  Josephine,  repressing  a  sigh.  "She  did  not 
have  to  spend  all  her  girlhood  giving  music  lessons 
instead  of  studying." 

Helen  squeezed  her  sister's  hand  in  silent  sym 
pathy. 

"  I  think  we  are  wonderfully  fortunate  to  have 
made  such  friends,"  added  Josephine,  with  hasty 
cheerfulness. 

"  Long  live  Dr.  Latimer  !  "  yawned  Yernon  be 
hind  her  hand,  and  then  they  broke  up  the 
and  retired. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

AU   REVOIR. 

THE  month  of  May  continued  relentless  that 
year.  The  famed  Boston  east  winds  sought  and 
chilled  the  marrow  in  one's  bones.  The  rain 
pelted ;  yet  Mother  Nature  with  marvelous  punc 
tuality  encouraged  her  little  leaves  not  to  defer  their 
engagement  on  account  of  the  weather,  and  they 
unfolded  bravely,  scarcely  noticed  until,  when  a 
shining,  windless  day  finally  dawned,  it  was  per 
ceived  that  the  country  was  fair  with  tender  green. 

Vacation  had  begun  for  Helen  and  was  almost 
here  for  Josephine.  Dr.  Latimer  came  with  his 
carriage  and  took  the  girls  to  drive  in  the  late 
pleasant  afternoons. 

Agnes  Norman  learned  the  way  into  their  home ; 
but  so  long  as  she  remained  in  the  city  she  seemed 
to  find  but  little  time  for  herself  or  her  neighbors. 

Dickie  Starbird  clattered  up  the  stairs  daily  to 
see  his  dear  Miss  Helen,  and  one  afternoon  he 
threw  his  arms  about  her  neck  with  extra  fervor. 

"  Good-by,"  he  cried ;  "  you  won't  see  me  any 
more." 

"  Are  you  going  away,  Dickie  ?  "  asked  Helen. 

"  Yep,  going  to  the  island  to-morrow." 


152  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  '  Yes,  Miss  Helen,'  you  should  say,  clear.  Are 
both  your  aunts  going  ?  " 

"  No,  just  Aunt  Charlotte.  Aunt  Agnes  is  com 
ing  pretty  soon,  though.  We  are  going  first  to 
get  the  house  ready." 

"  You  are  glad  to  go,  are  n't  you,  Dickie  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed,  but  I  wish  you  were  coming." 

"  You  must  n't  forget  me,  Dickie.  The  summer 
will  go  quickly,  and  then  I  hope  your  aunt  will  let 
you  come  back  to  me.  I  don't  think  you  need  to 
go  to  another  school  yet." 

"  'Ain't  going  to  any  other  school,"  announced 
Dickie  with  nonchalant  finality,  and  with  another 
hug  and  kiss  he  was  gone. 

"  Well,"  remarked  Helen  the  next  morning  at 
breakfast,  "  the  Normans  go  to-day,  —  practically 
all  of  them,  for  Miss  Agnes  is  going  to  spend  a 
week  or  so  with  a  friend.  Miss  Norman  came  in 
and  left  her  good-bys  for  you  both.  It  is  going  to 
be  lonely  without  them." 

"And  without  Dr.  Latimer.  He  will  be  off 
soon,"  suggested  Vernon. 

"Let  us  not  think  about  it,"  said  Josephine. 
"  Let  us  think  of  all  the  pleasant  outdoor  things 
we  can  do  together  here." 

"  And,  besides,  we  never  expected  to  have  any 
such  friends  when  we  first  came.  I  dare  say  we 
can  get  along,"  added  Vernon  boldly.  "  I  wonder 
where  Mr.  Randolph  will  spend  his  vacation.  His 
aunts  won't  have  him." 

"  Poor  young   man,"  observed  Helen.      "  We 


AU  EEVOIE.  153 

might  allow  him  to  rusticate  in  our  schoolroom 
through  the  hot  season." 

Vernon  laughed.  "  We  shall  be  quite  warm 
enough,  I  suspect,  so  near  this  flat  roof." 

It  was  that  morning  that  Persis  mounted  the 
stairs  again  to  visit  the  "  orphans." 

She  was  warmly  welcomed  by  Helen  and  Vernon. 
Their  sister  was  at  school. 

"  Thought  I  'd  have  to  come  and  say  good-by," 
she  announced,  breathing  heavily. 

"  I  'm  so  glad  you  did,"  replied  the  girls  in  uni 
son.  "  I  suppose  you  enjoy  this  change  in  the 
summer.  Do  you  always  go  with  the  doctor?" 
asked  Helen. 

"  Ever  since  he  's  been  goin'  to  the  island  I  have. 
That 's  only  three  years,  you  know,  and  glad  I  am 
to  get  him  off  always.  The  fish  o'  the  sea  and  the 
fowls  o'  the  air  are  pretty  much  the  only  things  in 
creation  that  don't  work  him  too  hard ;  and  since 
he  's  stopped  practicin'  med'cine  he 's  willin'  to 
make  a  pretty  good  stay  away  from  town." 

"  Have  you  kept  house  for  Dr.  Latimer  a  good 
while?"  asked  Vernon. 

"  Quite  a  spell.  You  see,  when  he  was  a  boy 
his  ma  had  a  house  in  the  country  where  I  was 
raised.  She  used  to  come  there  summers  and  she 
used  to  get  me  in  to  help  take  care  o'  the  doctor. 
Well,  she  always  took  an  interest  in  me  and  I 
always  took  an  interest  in  her,  but  I  lost  sight  of 
her  while  the  doctor  was  gettin'  his  education. 
They  was  in  Europe  a  long  spell,  and  then  Mis' 


154  DR.  LAT1MEE. 

Latimer  died  sudden.  Quite  a  while  afterwards 
the  doctor  came  out  to  our  place  to  see  about  sellin' 
the  country  house,  and  I,  hearin'  he  was  there,  went 
to  see  him.  I  had  n't  seen  him  for  years,  but  he 
was  just  as  pleasant  as  though  we  'd  parted  yester 
day. 

"  '  Where  you  goin'  to  live  now,  Paul  ? '  says  I. 
4  In  the  same  old  place,'  says  he.  '  Don't  you  want 
to  come  and  keep  house  for  me,  Persis  ? '  Well,  I 
looked  at  him  and  think  says  I,  you  're  goin'  to  be 
most  awfully  imposed  upon,  alone  as  you  are,  if  I 
don't,  think  says  I,  so  says  I,  right  off,  without 
waitin'  more  'n  a  flash,  '  Yes,  I  do,'  says  I.  He 
looked  surprised,  and  I  wan't  sure  whether  he  was 
pleased  or  not,  but  I  knew  what  was  good  for  him 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  then  and  there  to  do  for 
him  till  I  saw  he  could  better  himself.  So  the  up 
shot  of  it  is  I  'm  there  yet,  for  he  very  soon  showed 
he  was  glad  I  come,  and  I  think  I  Ve  done  well  by 
him." 

Persis  smoothed  her  dress  with  her  silk-gloved 
hands  and  beamed  upon  the  girls,  wrho  regarded 
her  with  interest. 

"  You  do  the  cooking?  "  asked  Helen. 

"  I  should  think  I  did.  Do  you  suppose  I  'd  let 
anybody  else  cook  the  doctor's  victuals  ?  I  do  the 
cookin'  and  hire  the  help  and  —  well,  I  guess  I  'm 
what  they  call  a  workin'  housekeeper." 

"  And  we  found  out  how  you  can  cook  at  the 
dinner  the  other  night,"  remarked  Vernon. 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  I  made  it  my  business  to  learn  how 


AU  EEVOIE.  155 

io  do  things  when  I  see  the  doctor  needed  lookin' 
after,  for  I  was  bound  he  should  n't  have  a  chance 
to  wish  I  was  n't  there.  I  hain't  got  long  to  stay 
this  mornin',"  added  Miss  Applebee.  "  I  just 
thought  as  I  was  passin'  I  'd  look  in  and  say  good- 
by.  We  're  off  to-morrow." 

"  It  was  very  kind  of  you,"  replied  Helen,  and 
both  girls  shook  the  plump  hand  and  received  a 
kindly  glance  of  the  bright  gray  eyes. 

"  I  hope  you  '11  enjoy  your  vacation  first-rate," 
said  Persis,  "but  I'm  some  afraid  you'll  find  these 
rooms  hot  come  July.  Why  can't  you  take  your 
beds  down  to  the  lower  flat  ?  " 

"  It  is  engaged  at  last,"  answered  Vernon. 
"  We  are  going  to  have  neighbors  this  summer." 

"  Here 's  hopin'  they  '11  be  clever  folks,"  re 
sponded  Persis  earnestly.  "  Give  my  good-by  to 
your  sister." 

"  So  Dr.  Latimer  leaves  town  to-morrow?"  said 
Josephine  when  she  returned  and  Miss  Applebee's 
information  had  been  rehearsed  to  her.  "  Then  he 
will  be  likely  to  come  to  take  us  for  a  last  drive 
this  afternoon." 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  have  been  thinking  ?  " 
asked  Vernon  confidentially.  "  Would  n't  it  be 
nice  if  Dr.  Latimer  would  ask  us  to  exercise  his 
horses  during  the  summer." 

"  It  would,  indeed,"  replied  Helen ;  "  but  he  will 
not.  He  probably  sends  them  into  the  country  to 
have  as  good  a  rest  as  he  has  himself." 

"  Oh,  girls,  I  am  afraid  it  is  clouding  up,"  ex- 


156  DE.  LATIMEE. 

claimed  Josephine  anxiously.  "  Won't  it  be  too 
bad  if  it  rains  and  he  can't  take  us  this  last  day ! " 

Josephine's  fears  were  realized.  The  sky  grew 
darker  and  presently  the  drops  began  to  fall. 
Faster  and  thicker  they  came,  and  the  shower  did 
not  abate  until  sunset. 

Supper  was  over  and  Josephine  stood  by  the 
window  in  the  twilight. 

"  I  shall  not  see  Dr.  Latimer  again,"  she  said, 
turning  to  look  where  she  and  Yernon  always 
looked  for  comfort,  —  namely,  at  Helen. 

"  That  is  so,  and  it  is  just  as  hard  for  Helen  and 
me  as  it  is  for  you,"  remarked  Vernon  resignedly. 
"  I  have  been  hoping  up  to  the  last  that  he  would 
say  something  nice  about  the  horses." 

"  You  will  see  him  to-morrow,  but  I  shall  be  at 
school,"  replied  Josephine.  "  He  will  not  leave 
town  without  coming.  Be  sure  to  ask  him  how 
long  he  is  going  to  stay.  Perhaps  he  will  stay  a 
month." 

"  The  idea,"  scoffed  Vernon,  "  of  his  coming 
back  before  August." 

"  Well,  two  months,  then." 

"  Oh,  no.  It  is  very  warm  in  September.  He 
will  stay  three  months,  probably." 

"  But  that  is  a  quarter  of  a  year,"  returned  Jo 
sephine,  facing  about  sharply. 

Yernon  gave  a  careless  laugh.  "  Well,  I  '11  tell 
him  that  he  must  not  stay  so  long,"  she  answered, 
seating  herself  by  Helen  and  laying  her  head  in 
her  sister's  lap. 


AU  REVOIE.  157 

There  was  a  long  silence  while  the  shadows  gath- 
,ered  close  and  closer. 

"  Girls,  we  must  get  on  without  anybody  but 
ourselves,"  said  Josephine  at  last,  turning  back 
from  the  window  and  speaking  firmly.  "  This 
looking  outside  for  our  contentment  will  not  do 
at  all.  Now,  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  shall  have  — 
what  was  that  ?  I  thought  I  heard  a  step  "  — 

"  Well,  so  you  did,"  remarked  Vernon.  "  Some 
body  is  venturing  to  walk  along  the  sidewalk,  and 
the  window  being  open  you  heard  it.  You  were 
saying  ?  " 

"  That  we  shall  have  a  —  delightful  —  a  very 
pleasant  —  there  is  somebody  coming  upstairs,  girls. 
Who  can  it  be?" 

Helen  pushed  Vernon  gently  aside,  and  rising 
opened  the  door.  "  It  is  too  bad  the  gas  is  not 
lighted.  Excuse  me,  but  who  "  —  she  paused  inter 
rogatively. 

"It  is  I,  Miss  Helen.  I  have  a  match  right 
here."  Dr.  Latimer  lighted  the  gas.  "  You  were 
enjoying  blindman's  holiday." 

"  Yes.  The  twilight  is  so  long  now  it  betrays 
us  into  carelessness.  Josephine,  can  you  find  a 
match?  It  looks  black  coming  out  of  the  hall." 

"  In  just  a  minute ;  I  am  not  sure  "  — 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself,  Miss  Josephine  :  I  've 
another  right  here,"  and  the  doctor  lighted  the 
burners  in  the  schoolroom. 

"  We  were  afraid  when  the  rain  came  we  should 
miss  you  altogether,"  said  Vernon,  "  for  Persia 
told  us  you  were  going  to-morrow." 


158  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  I  should  not  have  gone  without  seeing  you," 
returned  the  doctor,  as  he  seated  himself,  "  although 
I  don't  believe  much  in  good-bys." 

"  If  you  had  not  come,"  said  Josephine,  "  we 
should  have  been  very  sorry.  Good-bys  are  not 
agreeable,  but  they  are  better  than  nothing." 

Dr.  Latimer  looked  pleased.  "  Good-by  in  this 
case  would  suit  me  so  little,"  he  answered,  "  that  I 
want  to  say  au  revoir  instead." 

"  With  all  our  hearts,"  returned  Helen.  "  How 
long  do  you  usually  stay  at  your  summer  home  ?  " 

She  cast  a  glance  at  Josephine,  but  the  latter's 
eyes  were  upon  the  doctor  with  so  absorbed  an  ex 
pression  that  she  was  not  heeded. 

"  I  am  lawless  about  that,"  replied  the  visitor. 
"  I  stay  sometimes  until  the  Sea  Shell  is  unable  to 
shelter  me  any  longer.  Persis  tells  me  you  are  to 
have  neighbors  downstairs." 

"  Yes,"  said  Josephine,  "  and  I  fancy  that  dur 
ing  the  season  of  open  windows  that  fact  will  cause 
us  to  spend  considerable  time  in  the  parks." 

"  Perhaps  the  fact  will  help  incline  you  to  listen 
to  my  plan,"  observed  Dr.  Latimer,  his  eyes  look 
ing  from  one  to  another  of  the  young  faces.  "  I 
came  to-night  to  ask  you  if  you  would  like  to  visit 
me  at  the  island  this  summer.  I  am  not  at  all 
sure  you  would  like  it,"  he  added,  his  smile  flash 
ing  forth  and  the  color  coming  and  going  in  his 
face,  as  the  pleased  and  startled  exclamations  broke 
from  Helen  and  Yernon. 

Josephine's  position  did  not  change,  but  some 


AU  ItEVOIR.  159 

inner  feeling  illumined  her  countenance  as  a  strong 
light  might  burst  into  glow  within  a  white  vase. 

"  How  good  of  you  to  ask  us !  "  exclaimed  Helen 
gratefully. 

"  Of  course  we  should  like  it !  "  added  Yernon 
excitedly. 

Dr.  Latimer  bent  his  steady  eyes  upon  the  eld 
est.  "  I  suppose  Miss  Josephine  is  the  arbiter  of 
our  fate,"  he  said.  "  What  are  your  sentiments  in 
the  matter  ?  " 

"  I  would  rather  go  there  than  anywhere  in  the 
world,"  replied  the  girl,  so  seriously  that  the  doc 
tor  laughed  and  raised  his  eyebrows. 

"  Mr.  Randolph  would  be  surprised  to  learn  what 
a  convert  he  made.  I  should  really  be  very  sorry 
to  have  your  anticipations  high,  for  the  island  is  so 
quiet  and  life  there  so  simple  that  your  going 
would  be  an  experiment.  The  trouble  is  that,  be 
ing  my  guests,  you  will  not  like  to  tell  me  if  you 
are  discontented." 

The  speaker  looked  from  one  to  the  other  ques- 
tioningly. 

"  We  would  promise  to  be  honest,"  returned 
Helen  with  a  little  reassuring  nod. 

"  Besides,  Dr.  Latimer,"  added  Josephine  with 
unchanged  seriousness,  "  you  know  people  do  not 
have  to  tell  you  things." 

Her  sisters  laughed  and  the  visitor  smiled. 

"  Then  you  will  come,''  he  said.  "  I  have 
spoken  to  Persis  about  your  servant  Lena,  and  she 
suggests  that  you  allow  her  to  come  to  my  house 


160  DR.   LATIMER. 

and  be  a  companion  for  the  girl  I  shall  leave  there. 
Send  any  valuables  you  may  wish  taken  care  of  to 
my  house  also,  as  you  are  not  sure  of  the  new  peo 
ple  below.  Then  Lena  can  come  here  occasionally 
and  air  the  rooms  and  take  a  look  at  things." 

Before  the  doctor  left,  every  arrangement  was 
perfected.  The  girls  were  to  leave  Boston  the  first 
of  July.  The  parting  with  him  was  very  different 
from  that  which  they  had  anticipated,  and  when  he 
was  gone  Josephine  put  an  arm  about  each  of  her 
sisters  in  mute  contentment. 

"Doesn't  it  almost  seem  as  though  we  were 
deserting  Mr.  Bruch  ? "  asked  Helen  regretfully. 
"  Poor  man !  I  am  afraid  he  will  have  a  lonely 
summer." 

"  Don't  worry,"  returned  Vernon.  "  It  is  more 
than  likely  that  Dr.  Latimer  has  provided  some 
asylum  for  him,  too.  Is  n't  it  a  pity  that  Mr.  Ran 
dolph  only  likes  the  island  from  an  aesthetic  point 
of  view,  and  not  for  practical  visiting  ?  " 

Josephine  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  her 
radiant  smile  and  softly  beaming  eyes  expressing 
more  than  her  words.  "  Nothing  is  a  pity  to 
night,"  she  said. 

"  It  will  be  awfully  poky  there,  as  like  as  not," 
objected  Yernon  doubtfully ;  "  and  even  if  I  don't 
like  it  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  stay  if  you  do." 

"  The  majority  shall  decide,"  answered  Jose 
phine. 

"  Then  it  will  simply  depend  on  which  of  us  can 
tease  the  harder,"  answered  Yernon,  half -vexed, 


AU  EEVOIE.  161 

half -laughing  ;  "  for  Helen  will  only  want  what  we 
want." 

"  I  thank  you  very  much,"  observed  Helen  with 
as  much  dignity  as  was  compatible  with  the  fact 
that  her  sisters  were  kissing  her  simultaneously, 
one  011  the  right  and  one  on  the  left  cheek  ;  "  I 
have  some  mind  of  my  own,  and  having  a  little 
intelligence  I  am  not  going  to  refuse  an  offer  of 
a  visit  to  the  seashore  with  all  my  expenses  paid, 
and  I  advise  you,  Yernon,  not  to  croak." 

It  was  a  couple  of  days  afterward  that  the  young 
est  met  Mr.  Randolph  on  the  street  a;  ain,  and  she 
could  hardly  wait  to  pass  the  ordinary  courtesies  of 
the  occasion  before  surprising  him  with  her  news. 

"  We  are  going  to  the  island,"  she  announced, 
endeavoring  to  give  her  information  in  a  matter-of- 
course  manner. 

"  Indeed  ?  "  Olin  was  astonished  and  showed  it. 
"  By  my  aunt's  invitation  ?  " 

"No;  oh,  no." 

"  Ah,  going  to  the  Fountain  Plouse,  then." 

"I  didn't  know  there  was  a  Fountain  House." 

"Certainly.  Electric  lights,  elevator,  fountain 
in  the  court  surrounded  by  palms  and  tropical 
plants  and  all  that." 

"  Well,  we  are  n't  going  there.    Guess  again." 

"Dr.  Latimer?" 

"  Right."  Vernon  nodded.  "  Is  n't  he  dear  ? 
It  is  fortunate  I  met  you,  for  as  you  never  call  upon 
us  any  more  I  should  n't  have  seen  you  otherwise 
to  say  good-by." 


162  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  No,  I  admit  I  have  not  been  neighborly.  I 
have  burned  all  your  sister  Josephine's  pressing 
invitations  to  visit  you."  After  an.  impressive 
pause  he  added :  "  I  told  you  long  ago  that  I  sus 
pected  the  Ivison  heart  to  be  a  hard  one.  Now  I 
know  it." 

"  Have  yon  stayed  away  on  that  account  ?  "  asked 
Vernon,  looking  at  him  reflectively,  a  good  deal 
consoled. 

He  shook  his  head.  "  No,"  he  answered,  "  not 
wholly." 

Vernon  blushed  quickly.  "  Please  yourself,  by 
all  means,"  she  said,  beginning  to  walk  on. 

"  I  am  not  allowed  to,"  answered  Olin  coolly. 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  said  Vernon,  her  eyes  sparkling. 
*'  Well,  be  sure  to  obey  auntie,  whatever  you  do." 

Randolph  stared  and  then  laughed.  "  It  is  n't 
auntie.  You  don't  seem  to  understand  that  my 
business  may  demand  midnight  oil." 

"  You "  —  began  Vernon,  and  then  paused. 
"  Good-by,"  she  added,  holding  out  her  hand. 

"  What  were  you  going  to  say  ?  " 

"Nothing,  —  which  is  what  you  say  most  of 
the  time  you  are  talking."  She  laughed,  still 
vexed. 

Mr.  Randolph  suddenly  reassumed  his  bored, 
impenetrable  expression,  and  touched  her  offered 
hand  formally. 

"  Good-by.  Be  kind  enough  to  give  my  best 
wishes  for  a  pleasant  summer  to  your  sisters,"  he 
said. 


AU  REVOIR.  163 

Vernon  felt  startled  and  chilled  by  his  manner, 
and  with  an  automatic  adieu  allowed  him  to  leave 
her  and  passed  on  her  way. 

But  the  sun  shone  dally,  the  green  of  the  grass 
had  faded,  and  there  was  a  faint  dismay  at  her 
heart ;  so,  being,  as  her  sister  had  said,  very  child 
like,  and  but  little  restrained  as  yet  by  the  fetters 
of  conventionality,  she  suddenly  threw  them  off, 
and  turning  about  hurried  after  Olin,  who  heard 
himself  addressed  by  a  rather  breathless,  girlish 
voice :  — 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Randolph." 

lie  turned  in  surprise  and  lifted  his  hat. 

*'  I  wanted  to  —  I  did  n't  mean  "  —  Yernoii 
swallowed.  She  felt  vaguely  that  the  regulation 
youngest  princess  would  never  be  reduced  to  straits 
like  this,  and  that  the  prince  would  be  more  in  his 
place  on  one  knee  at  her  feet  than  looking  down 
upon  her  from  such  a  superior  height,  while  he 
waited  seriously  for  the  words  that  stuck  in  her 
throat. 

"  That  was  very  impertinent  —  what  I  said,"  she 
managed  to  utter  at  last.  "  I  'm  sorry." 

Confronted  by  this  apology  Mr.  Randolph  was 
for  a  moment  at  a  loss  for  words. 

"  I  meant  it  in  a  way,  you  know,"  continued 
straightforward  Vernon.  "  You  never  say  what 
you  mean,  and  I  never  know  whether  you  mean 
what  you  say  or  not,  and  that  is  very  provoking., 
you  see." 

"  Why,  this  is  handsome  of  you,  very  handsome 


1G4  DK.  LAT1MEE. 

indeed,"  observed  Olin,  smiling.  "  You  're  a  nice 
child." 

"  Upon  my  word  !  "  thought  Vernon,  unpleas 
antly  disconcerted.  "  Just  as  I  was  falling  in  love 
with  him  to  have  him  call  me  a  child !  " 

"  Well,  good-by,  again,  then,  if  you  have  for 
given  me,"  she  said  aloud,  her  cheeks  very  prettily 
pink  and  a  becoming  assumption  of  dignity  in  her 
bearing. 

Randolph  took  her  hand  and  pressed  it  cor 
dially. 

"  I  believe  you  do  not  envy  us,"  she  said. 

"  Oh,  you  're  mistaken,"  returned  Olin  hastily. 
"  I  really  have  a  high  appreciation  of  the  island." 

u  To  be  labeled  '  sincere  '  this  time  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly." 

Randolph  spoke  seriously.  As  events  were 
shaping  themselves  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  might 
be  desirable  to  cultivate  that  appreciation  into  a 
flourishing  sentiment. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

IN   A    FOG. 

IT  was  the  first  day  of  .July  that  the  girls  turned 
the  key  of  their  flat  and  gladly  departed  from 
Boston.  When  they  left  the  train  at  the  union 
depot  in  Portland,  Josephine  had  in  her  hand  the 
list  of  written  directions  as  to  how  to  reach  the 
dock ;  but  the  appearance  of  Dr.  Latimer  waiting 
for  his  guests  put  an  end  to  all  doubts. 

"  How  good  of  you  !  We  did  n't  expect  you," 
cried  the  girls. 

"  I  concluded  to  come,"  he  replied,  looking  from 
one  to  another  with  a  welcome  in  his  eyes. 

"  Then  the  island  is  a  nearer  neighbor  than  I 
thought,"  said  Helen. 

"I  came  up  yesterday  and  spent  the  night  in 
Portland,"  explained  the  doctor,  as  he  bestowed 
the  girls  and  their  bags  in  a  carriage  that  was 


waiting. 


They  enjoyed  the  drive  across  the  interesting  old 
city,  and,  stopping  on  the  way  for  a  hasty  lunch, 
went  on  to  the  dock,  where  the  wind  blew  in  with 
a  chill  from  the  water. 

"I  hope  we  shall  not  get  a  fog,"  remarked  Dr. 
Latimer.  "  Wre  are  always  desirous  to  have  this 


166  'DR.   LATIMER. 

ride  show  off  to  the  best  advantage  to  stran 
gers." 

The  little  steamer  Merriconeag  was  presently 
ready,  and  the  passengers  went  on  board,  the  doc 
tor  having  an  eye  to  the  girls'  trunks,  as  he  knew 
by  experience  that  baggage  sent  to  this  dock  had  a 
way  of  becoming  inspired  with  a  spirit  of  indepen 
dence,  and  sometimes  preferred  taking  its  summer 
outing  without  regard  to  the  destination  of  its 
owner. 

They  were  off  at  last. 

The  boat  steamed  against  the  wind,  past  the 
thickly  populated  islands  nearest  the  mainland. 
The  girls  were  glad  to  get  shawls  out  of  their 
straps  and  put  them  on. 

"  Casco  Bay  is  credited  with  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  islands,"  remarked  the  doctor,  "but  that 
may  be  stretching  a  point  in  order  to  give  one  for 
each  day  in  the  year." 

"  Are  n't  you  cold  ?  "  asked  Helen,  looking  up  at 
him  as  he  gazed  at  the  fresh  green  isles  uplifting 
themselves  from  the  surging  waves. 

"  It  is  chilly,"  he  returned,  "  but  this  salt  air 
never  seems  to  me  harmful.  I  fear,  though,  my 
local  pride  is  about  to  have  a  blow.  We  are  going 
into  a  fog." 

Even  so.  Before  the  boat  was  clear  of  Little 
Diamond  Island,  the  landscape  blurred,  and  soon 
only  the  ghosts  of  evergreen  trees  and  outlines  of 
rugged  shores  were  discernible  through  the  mist. 
The  girls  wrapped  their  shawls  more  closely  about 
them  and  their  host  seated  himself  near  by. 


IN  A  FOG.  167 

"  There  is  a  cabin,"  he  said  doubtfully.  "  You 
may  be  driven  to  it." 

"  Not  unless  you  are,"  returned  Josephine,  who 
was  beatifically  indifferent  to  wind  and  weather. 

"  A  bad  beginning  makes  a  good  ending,"  he 
suggested. 

"Is  this  a  bad  beginning?"  she  returned,  and 
gave  him  one  of  her  rare  smiles. 

Dr.  Latimer  laughed  a  little  and  regarded  Ver- 
non,  who  was  looking  pensive.  "  I  thought  it  was. 
Well,  all  is  you  will  have  to  suspend  opinions  as 
to  this  ride.  If  the  fog  is  about  the  island,  Persis 
is  feeling  much  disappointed.  I  must  tell  you  that 
she  has  been  very  active  and  interested  in  the  plan 
for  your  visit.  The  summer  is  her  vacation  as 
much  as  mine,  and  more  necessary  for  her  than  for 
me ;  so  I  thought  it  generous  in  her  to  enter  so 
wholeheartedly  into  the  arrangement  for  my  guests, 
and  decided  to  mention  it  because  I  wanted  you  to 
realize  her  state  of  mind." 

The  girls  expressed  their  appreciation,  and  the 
two  hours  wore  away,  a  part  of  the  time  spent  in 
the  cabin  and  a  part  on  deck. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  trip,  and  while  they  were 
waiting  for  the  next  shadowy  shore  to  loom  out  of 
the  fog,  a  tall,  broad  man,  noticeable  for  his  height 
and  the  profusion  and  snow-whiteness  of  his  hair 
and  beard,  approached  our  group. 

Dr.  Latimer  gave  him  a  welcoming  look.  "  My 
guests  will  not  get  much  idea  of  the  island  to-day," 
he  remarked. 


168  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  Fawg  's  pretty  heavy,"  returned  the  old  man. 

"  These  are  the  Misses  Ivison,  Captain  Liph," 
went  on  the  doctor,  and  the  girls  "bowed  and  smiled 
toward  the  picturesque  head  which  nodded  them  a 
greeting. 

u  Captain  Liph  Johnson  is  one  of  our  neighbors 
at  the  island,"  explained  Dr.  Latimer.  "  Did  you 
come  to  Portland  this  morning,  captain  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  How  was  the  weather  then  ?  " 

"  Warm  and  clear,"  was  the  reply.  "  Aunt 
Charlotte  '11  be  pretty  well  cut  up,  '11  Aunt  Agnes, 
too,"  continued  the  old  fisherman,  "  t'  think  stran 
gers  are  goin'  to  git  here  'n  a  fawg.  I  tell  'm  they 
act  as  vain  o'  the  island  as  though  they  'd  made 
it  'emselves ;  "  and  the  shoulders  of  the  old  giant 
shook  in  a  silent  laugh. 

The  girls'  astonishment  to  hear  the  august  Miss 
Charlotte  and  her  famous  sister  thus  referred  to 
was  boundless,  but  there  was  no  more  time  for  talk. 
The  bell  rang  the  signal  to  land,  and  with  puffing 
and  twisting  the  steamer  drew  up  to  the  landing. 

Up  on  the  dock  the  mist  seemed  lighter.  Dr. 
Latimer,  after  looking  to  see  that  the  baggage  had 
not  played  truant  at  any  of  the  stopping-places 
along  the  route,  led  the  girls  to  the  end  of  the  dock, 
where  a  horse  and  open  wagon  were  waiting  on  the 
grass.  A  man,  his  back  bowed  over  in  an  easy 
attitude,  held  the  reins. 

"You  got  yer  friends,  I  see,"  remarked  the 
latter  conversationally,  looking  good-naturedly  at 
the  girls. 


IN  A  FOG.  169 

"  Yes,  safe  and  sound.  These  are  the  Misses  Ivi- 
son,  Captain  Amos.  This  is  a  brother  of  Captain 
Liph  whom  you  met  on  the  boat.  I  '11  drive  up  in 
a  minute,  captain.  Just  wait  till  I  look  for  some 
packages." 

Captain  Amos,  who  was  smaller  and  younger 
than  his  brother,  stepped  stiffly  to  the  ground  and 
Dr.  Latimer  returned  to  the  dock. 

Captain  Amos  watched  reflectively  while  the 
girls  clambered  unaided  into  the  high  wagon. 

"  Sorry  't  wan't  a  hahnsomer  day  f '  your  sakes," 
he  observed,  with  the  same  drawl  that  had  been 
noticeable  in  his  brother's  speech;  only  whereas 
Captain  Liph's  tone  was  exceptionally  round  and 
musical,  Captain  Amos  spoke  with  a  nasal  cheer 
fulness. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Helen.  "  We  care  more  for  Dr. 
Latimer's  disappointment  than  our  own.  What  a 
pretty  horse !  " 

"Yes."  Captain  Amos  looked  at  the  animal 
with  his  customary  air  of  reflection.  "  Dave  doos 
well  enough.  'T  any  rate  he  don't  have  t'  stand 
no  c'mparison." 

«  How  is  that  ?  " 

"  'Cause  there  ain't  no  other  hoss  on  the  island." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  an'  we  ain't  had  him  only  a  few  years. 
It 's  jest  about  three  years  now  sence  he  was  swum 
over." 

"  Did  they  make  him  swim  ?  "  exclaimed  Yernon, 
much  interested.  "  Why  ?  " 


170  J)K.  LATIMEJl. 

Captain  Amos'  kindly  blue  eyes  twinkled  under 
their  hay-colored  thatch.  "  Well,  the  walkin'  ain't 
much  account  'twixt  us  an'  Orr's  Island,  ye  see," 
he  returned ;  then  looked  back  at  his  pet. 

"  There  had  n't  never  ben  a  hoss  here  till  then, 
an'  Dave  pretty  near  scared  the  critters  out  o'  the'r 
wits.  He  could  n't  go  anywheres  the  first  on  't  but 
what  th'  oxen  'n  the  cows  would  kick  up  their  heels 
an'  run  away  the  minute  they  sot  eyes  on  him ;  but 
that 's  all  passed  now.  They  found  out  he  was 
stiddy  enough,  come  to  know  him.  All  right,  doc 
tor,"  as  the  latter  approached.  "  I  '11  fetch  the 
mail." 

Captain  Amos  accordingly  vanished  and  soon 
returned  with  a  limp  leather  bag,  which  he  pushed 
under  the  wagon-seat,  and  then  the  doctor  took  the 
reins  and  the  horse  started  up  the  hill. 

The  mist  was  light  enough  for  the  girls  to  discern 
the  daisied  grass  and  the  swallows  who,  with  tireless 
wing,  wove  their  graceful  curves  about  the  wagon 
and  across  the  fields,  now  in  the  air,  now  circling 
close  to  the  ground,  the  steel-blue  of  their  plumage 
often  flashing  fearlessly  near  the  girls'  cheeks. 

Sixty  feet  above  the  sea  rose  the  road,  and  when 
the  doctor  reached  a  level  he  turned  to  Vernon, 
who  was  beside  him  on  the  front  seat. 

"  Too  bad  you  have  to  take  so  much  on  trust,"  he 
said  ;  "  but  when  the  sun  breaks  this  enchantment 
you  will  see  better  why  we  love  the  island,  Miss 
Vernon." 

"  Oh,  you  are  n't  going  to  begin  to  call  me  Miss, 
again,  I  hope,"  exclaimed  the  girl. 


IN  A  FOG.  171 

"  Did  I  ever  forget  my  manners  so  far  as  to 
leave  off?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  liked  it  so  much." 

"  Did  you,  dear  child  ?  Then  we  will  have  done 
with  that  conventionality  for  all  time.  Now," 
added  the  doctor,  "  we  come  to  Maiden  Lane." 

They  drove  across  a  green  field  into  a  road 
nearly  as  grass-grown. 

"  Maiden  Lane  because  the  Misses  Norman  live 
in  it?" 

"  Yes,  and  Persis,  and  various  others.  Women 
have  a  monopoly  of  the  island  as  summer  visitors, 
for,  as  you  see,  only  an  idle  man  like  myself  can 
afford  to  remain  so  far  from  the  busy  world ;  but 
the  Normans  were  the  pioneers,  and  Miss  Agnes 
named  the  street." 

The  row  of  cottages  showed  through  the  mist. 
They  backed  upon  Maiden  Lane  and  were  divided 
by  generous  plots  of  ground.  The  girls  strained 
their  curious  eyes. 

"  What  is  over  there?"  asked  Vernon,  nodding 
toward  the  blank  mist  beyond. 

"  Over  there  is  Casco  Bay  and  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,"  returned  Dr.  Latimer,  "  and  here,"  turn 
ing  in  beside  one  of  the  cottages,  "  is  the  Sea 
Shell." 

Persis  had  heard  the  wheels,  and  throwing  open 
the  door  came  out  upon  the  piazza. 

"  Here  we  are,"  announced  the  doctor. 

"  And  welcome  as  the  flowers,"  returned  Persis 
heartily,  coming  to  the  side  of  the  wagon  and  giv- 


172  DR.  LATIMEB. 

ing  the  girls  a  hand  to  descend.  "  I  did  n't  think 
'twould  be  foggy,  Miss  Josephine,"  she  added  in 
an  aggrieved  tone,  "  but  what  can't  be  cured  must 
be  endured.  Come  right  in  by  the  fire,  all  of  you. 
Captain  Amos  be  here  soon,  d  'ye  think,  doctor  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  he  understands  about  the  trunks,  but 
he  will  have  to  drive  down  with  the  mail  first. 
Dave  will  stand.'"'  And  the  speaker  followed  his 
guests  across  the  little  piazza  and  into  the  living- 
room  of  the  cottage,  upon  which  the  door  opened. 

A  table  was  spread  for  tea,  and  a  wood  fire 
blazed  on  the  old  andirons  that  stood  under  the 
brick  chimney.  These  andirons  were  Miss  Char 
lotte's  envy  and  admiration,  and  had  belonged  to 
Persis'  ancestors. 

A  clock  which  likewise  had  come  from  the  house 
keeper's  old  home  ticked  on  the  other  side  of  the 
room  with  a  method  and  exact  truth  to  which  it 
had  held  undeviatingly  for  nearly  eighty  years. 
Only  when  it  struck  the  hour  was  the  venerable 
time-piece  unable  to  conceal  its  age.  It  hurried 
and  rattled  hoarsely  in  an  uncontrolled  sort  of 
way,  and  one  could  but  feel  that  it  must  be  morti 
fying  to  a  staid  and  respectable  individual  to  be 
obliged  to  make  such  a  hysterical  exhibition  every 
hour  in  the  twenty-four. 

"  Have  you  kept  our  secret,  Persis  ?  "  asked  the 
doctor. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  an'  the  fog  helped  us  there  ;  for  if  it 
had  n't  been  for  that  they  'd  a  seen  you  drive  up, 


IN  A  FOG.  173 

"  I  thought,  Miss  Helen,"  explained  the  host, 
"  that  if  the  household  in  which  Dickie  rules  was 
held  ignorant  of  your  arrival  until  to-morrow  it 
would  be  quite  as  comfortable  for  you." 

"  Where  do  they  live  ?  "  asked  Helen,  looking 
curiously  at  the  windows. 

"  Next  door.  There  comes  Captain  Amos. 
Now  it  will  not  be  long  before  your  trunks  are 
here." 

The  girls  stood  near  the  fire  and  looked  about 
them  with  interest.  The  room  they  were  in  ran 
the  full  width  of  the  house,  and  the  walls  and  ceil 
ing  were  without  lath  or  plaster.  Against  the  clean, 
smooth,  wooden  studs  hung  such  decorations  as 
Persis  had  chosen. 

A  broad  divan,  comfortably  upholstered  in 
chintz,  stood  near  one  window,  and  a  writing-desk 
and  chairs  completed  the  furniture  of  the  room. 

Chintz  curtains  hung  before  some  wooden 
shelves  in  one  corner,  and  Persis,  pulling  the  hang 
ings  aside,  asked  the  girls  to  place  their  wraps  and 
hats  within. 

"  The  doctor's  room  opens  out  o'  that  door,  an' 
the  kitchen  's  here,  an'  now  I  '11  show  you  where 
you're  goin'  to  live,  if  you'd  like  to  see,"  con 
tinued  the  housekeeper,  leading  the  way  up  a  flight 
of  uncarpeted  stairs.  The  upper  floor  of  the  house 
was  one  great  room,  unfinished  like  those  below, 
and  three  beds  were  disposed  about  it.  The  brick 
chimney  ran  from  the  parlor  up  through  the  centre 
and  disappeared  through  the  sloping  roof.  Chintz 


174  DR.  LATIMEE. 

curtains  were  hung  to  provide  two  dressing-rooms 
and  closets,  and  the  beds  and  toilet  arrangements 
were  exquisitely  neat  and  plainly  comfortable. 

Vernon  looked  about  her  curiously,  and  above 
her  from  eaves  to  ridge-pole. 

"  What  a  funny  contrast  to  Dr.  Latimer's  house 
in  Boston  !  "  she  said. 

"  But  this  ain't  Dr.  Latimer's  house,  you  see," 
returned  Persis,  her  pleasant  face  beaming.  "  No," 
as  the  girls  looked  surprised ;  "  the  doctor  gave 
me  this  house,  and  says  he,  c  You  're  mistress 
here,  Persis,'  says  he,  4  and  you  shall  have  things 
your  own  way.  I  'm  your  guest  down  here,'  says 
he." 

"  That  makes  us  the  more  grateful  to  you,"  re 
plied  Josephine,  "  for  of  course  we  are  your  guests, 
too,  and  we  feel  that  it  was  very  kind  of  you  to 
ask  us." 

"  Law !  I  'm  tickled  t'  think  you  ain't  bakin' 
under  that  flat  roof,"  declared  Persis.  "  It  '11  do 
you  all  a  sight  o'  good  to  be  here  a  spell.  This 
here  burer  's  yours,  an'  them  hooks,  an'  if  there 
ain't  room  enough,  why,  there 's  plenty  more  hooks 
down  to  Cap'n  Amos'  store.  I  hope  he'll  get 
your  trunks  up  here  'fore  long,  for  it's  more 'n 
likely  to  rain  to-night." 

The  trunks  arrived  and  the  rain,  too,  but  hap 
pily  in  the  proper  order,  and  two  modest  little 
boxes  were  safely  stowed  upstairs  before  the  first 
drops  fell. 

The   girls   were  hungry  for  the  supper  of  hot 


IN  A   FOG.  175 

mackerel  and  light  biscuit  which  Persis  dispensed 
to  them  from  her  place  at  the  head  of  the  table, 
and  when  the  meal  was  finished  Josephine  began 
to  clear  off  the  dishes  and  her  sisters  followed  her 
example. 

"  Go  set  down,"  said  Persis  good-naturedly.  "  I 
don't  want  you  to  go  to  work  the  first  thing." 

"  No,  let  us  begin  right,"  replied  Josephine. 
"  You  must  let  us  help  you  in  every  way  we  can, 
or  we  can't  be  happy  to  stay  here.  Let  us  under 
stand  each  other." 

"  Well,  I  '11  tell  you,"  replied  Miss  Applebee, 
leaning  both  hands  on  the  table  as  she  spoke. 
"  You  'd  drive  me  out  o'  my  senses  if  you  all  tried 
to  come  into  the  kitchen  at  once.  S§e  the  size  of 
it."  She  threw  open  the  kitchen  door.  "  Now  I  '11 
take  one  o'  you  at  a  time  an'  glad  to ;  and  I  've  no 
objection  to  beginnin'  with  the  oldest.  I  'm  free  to 
confess  I  never  did  like  to  wash  dishes  alone." 

"  Then  go  away,  girls,"  said  Josephine.  "  It 
will  be  your  turn  to-morrow  morning,  Helen.  You 
might  go  upstairs  and  take  some  of  the  things  out 
of  the  trunks." 

This  suggestion  was  acted  upon,  and  Dr.  Lati- 
mer  read  the  evening  paper  brought  up  from  the 
post-office  by  a  neighbor,  while  Josephine  explored 
the  compact  and  convenient  kitchen  and  listened 
to  Miss  Applebee' s  eulogiums  of  the  wondrous  lit 
tle  oil-stove  which  did  her  cooking. 

The  sisters  always  remembered  the  pleasant  im 
pressions  of  that  first  evening  on  the  island  when 


176  DR.  LA  TIMER. 

with  curtains  drawn  and  fresh  logs  blazing  they 
sat  about  the  table  and  chatted  until  an  early  bed 
time. 

The  rain  pattered  loudly  yet  soothingly  on  the 
roof  sloping  above  their  sleepy  heads.  A  mysteri 
ous  roar  and  rhythmical  whish  evidenced  the  near 
approach  of  mighty  waters  as  yet  unseen,  which  in 
the  dark  and  helplessness  of  the  night  made  Ver- 
non  cuddle  a  little  closer  to  Helen  with  a  sen 
sation  of  being  cut  off  from  the  world.  Captain 
Amos'  time-tested  joke  concerning  the  walking  be 
tween  the  two  islands  recurred  to  her  grimly,  and 
she  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  of  plunging  into  the  sea 
and  swimming  vainly  to  reach  the  mainland. 

It  was  a  novel  sensation  to  waken  the  next  day 
and  see  the  high  sloping  roof  overhead.  The  bril 
liant  gilding  on  each  crack  in  the  tightly  closed 
blinds  told  of  a  royal  morning  to  Vernon,  who  sat 
up  in  bed  cautiously  and  looked  wistfully  at  the 
other  sleepers  in  the  spacious  room.  A  hand 
waved  to  her  from  the  cot  bed  opposite  told  that 
Josephine  was  awake,  too,  and  Yernon  lay  down 
again  patiently,  having  had  instilled  into  her  that 
priceless  characteristic  of  unselfishness  which  re 
frains  from  insisting  that  all  the  household  shall 
waken  when  one  individual  has  had  sufficient 
sleep.  She  listened  to  the  sweep  of  the  water,  — 
the  only  sound  which  broke  a  stillness  like  that  of 
the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  recalling  Mr.  Randolph's 
photographs  tried  to  picture  what  she  should  see 
when  those  tantalizing  blinds  were  thrown  open. 


IN  A  FOG.  177 

This  desirable  event  took  place,  as  she  afterward 
found  it  did  every  morning,  at  a  quarter  of  seven 
o'clock.  With  hasty  greetings  the  girls  crowded 
together  before  the  open  window,  and  before  them 
stretched  the  blue,  rolling  expanse  of  the  ocean  all 
a-glitter  with  light.  The  cottage  was  set  about 
fifteen  feet  away  from  the  cliff,  whose  steep,  grassy 
face  was  from  top  to  bottom  a  garden  of  daisies. 
The  tide  was  high  and  rising,  and  close  to  the  snow 
of  the  blossoms  broke  the  snow  of  the  spreading 
foam  as,  with  each  incoming  burst,  the  strong,  com 
pact  rollers  crept  high  and  higher  as  though  eager 
to  reach  if  only  to  kiss  the  feet  of  the  nodding, 
beckoning,  smiling  flowers,  tossing  their  fair  heads 
in  the  bright  air. 

After  every  mighty  effort  the  water  retreated, 
dragging  its  weight  over  boulders  and  pebbles 
with  a  hissing  sound,  as  of  the  expiration  of  a  la 
bored  breath,  only  to  gather  force  for  the  next 
stealthy,  powerful  onslaught,  while  the  daisies  co 
quetted  with  each  other  and  seemed  to  enjoy  tan 
talizing  their  giant  lover,  who  was  after  all  destined 
never  to  embrace  them. 

A  slight  railing  bordered  the  edge  of  the  curv 
ing  bluff,  and  the  line  of  the  occasional  cottages 
followed  this  curve  symmetrically  as  the  girls  had 
noticed  in  the  photographs  Mr.  Randolph  had 
shown  them.  But  the  contrast  of  the  colorless, 
bleak  effect  of  the  picture  with  the  glow  and  bril 
liancy  of  the  reality  impressed  them  all. 

"  Well,  I  declare  for 't,  you  've  got  the  pick  o' 


178  DR.  LAT1MEE. 

days  this  time  sure,"  observed  Persis,  who  was 
standing  behind  the  trio,  well  pleased  with  their 
pleasure.  "  This  is  one  o'  the  mornin's  when  it 
seems  as  if  you  could  pretty  near  jump  over  to 
Ragged  Island.  That's  Ragged,  the  biggest  one 
yonder.  Can't  you  actually  most  count  the  twigs 
on  the  trees  ?  And  that  island  's  miles  away." 

A  song -spar  row  lighted  on  the  railing  below 
them  and  poured  out  a  rapturous  little  song. 

"  Amen !  "  said  Josephine,  when  he  had  fin 
ished. 

Persis  laughed.  "  Well,  this  won't  do  for  me. 
I  must  get  downstairs  or  we  won't  have  any  break 
fast." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION. 

Miss  CHARLOTTE  NORMAN  came  to  her  door  that 
morning  and  out  upon  the  piazza  with  as  swelling 
a  sense  of  pleasure  in  the  sights  and  odors  that 
greeted  her  as  though  she  were  enjoying  it  all  for 
the  first  time. 

Custom  could  never  stale  the  infinite  variety 
which  lay  about  her  beloved  island.  There  was 
always  a  new  combination  of  lights  and  shadows 
to  remark,  always  a  new  ship  whose  rigging  and 
business  she  wished  to  inquire  into  with  her  good 
spy-glass,  and  multifarious  nearer  interests  con 
nected  with  her  cottage  which  caused  the  days  to 
be  as  hours  and  the  hours  as  minutes  between 
June  and  September. 

She  looked  off  now  through  the  indescribably 
clear  air  upon  the  wide  familiar  scene,  from  the 
picturesque  slopes  and  cottages  of  Orr's  on  the 
left,  along  the  line  of  islands  here  and  there, 
until  her  eyes  rested  on  the  white  sails  of  the 
open  ocean  at  her  right. 

Agnes  joined  her.  "  This  is  Italy,  Charlotte, 
not  Maine,"  she  said,  linking  her  hand  within 
her  sister's  arm,  as  she  looked  lovingly  out  upon 


180  DR.  LATIMER. 

the  bay.  "  This  island  was  never  named  foj*  \ 
good  New  England  deacon.  It  is  Isola  Bella." 

"  It  deserves  the  title  of  Beautiful,  if  any  plfeje 
ever  did,"  returned  Miss  Charlotte.  "  Did  you 
ever  see  the  grass  so  long  ?  I  declare  I  'm  put 
out  with  Captain  Liph.  lie  has  been  promising 
to  cut  it  for  a  week.  You  can't  step  off  the 
piazza  anywhere  without  going  in  nearly  up  to 
your  knees,  and  it  is  as  wet  as  a  sponge.  The 
Nautilus  will  be  sailing  off  011  it  one  of  these 
nights." 

u  Does  n't  it  seem  a  pity  to  mow  down  the 
daisies  ?  "  said  Agnes,  looking  at  the  long-stemmed 
flowers  of  unusual  size  and  beauty  which  clung  to 
the  foundations  of  the  house  and  lay  like  patches 
of  snow  in  every  field  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  "  They  do  seem  more  human  than  any 
other  flower.  One  can't  help  feeling  that  they  are 
having  a  good  time  laying  their  heads  ^gether  so 
confidentially  and  nodding  as  though  they  were  all 
of  the  same  mind." 

"  I  know  it,  but  the  grass  must  be  cut.  I  '11 
just  step  over  and  see  if  Per  sis  knows  whether 
Captain  Liph  is  coming  to-day." 

Miss  Charlotte  went  into  the  house.  The  Nau 
tilus  and  the  Sea  Shell  were  planned  in  the  same 
simple  fashion,  excepting  that  the  bay  window 
Agnes  had  designed  was  now  an  accomplished 
fact.  Miss  Norman  went  to  a  corner  closet  simi' 
lar  to  the  one  Persis  had  shown  the  girls  and 
took  therefrom  her  rubbers. 


MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION.  181 

44 1  suppose  Dickie  is  n't  awake  yet,"  she  re 
marked  as  she  drew  them  on. 

"  No,  little  lazy-bones." 

"  Oh,  well,  let  him  sleep.  If  we  were  in  per 
petual  motion  every  minute  of  our  waking  hours 
I  dare  say  we  should  sleep  just  so,  and  then  he  is 
growing,  you  know." 

"  He  is  welcome  to  sleep,"  returned  Miss  Ag 
nes,  "  for  the  only  time  that  I  am  sure  he  is  safe 
down  here  is  when  he  is  in  bed." 

Her  sister  departed  on  her  errand  and  Agnes 
went  into  the  little  kitchen  to  take  up  the  break 
fast.  Some  of  the  happiest  moments  of  her  life 
were  spent  in  the  novel  domestic  labors  she  per 
formed  in  this  same  little  kitchen.  Dressed  in 
her  checked  gingham  gown,  her  head  free  from 
the  complicated  responsibilities  of  her  professional 
life,  her  heart  light  as  a  child's  in  the  seclusion 
of  this  island  as  yet  undiscovered  by  the  world, 
the  clever  fingers  bungled  delightedly  in  unaccus 
tomed  occupations,  and  that  yearning  for  domes 
ticity  which  is  unquenchable  in  the  breast  of  most 
professional  women  found  satisfaction. 

She  had  not  quite  completed  her  preparations 
when  the  slamming  of  the  cottage  door  made  her 
look  into  the  front  room. 

Her  sister  had  returned  and  was  standing  there 
with  a  portentous  countenance. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Charlotte  ?  " 

"  The  matter  is  that  the  island  is  spoiled.  I  Ve 
no  interest  in  it  any  further,  and  my  opinion  is 
that  we  had  better  sell  the  cottage  at  once." 


182  DR.  LATIMER. 

Miss  Norman  sat  down  and  removed  her  drip, 
ping  rubbers. 

"  I  can't  imagine  what  you  mean." 

"  Dr.  Latimer  has  brought  all  three  of  those 
Ivison  girls  down  here." 

Agnes,  who  had  the  coffee-pot  in  one  hand  and 
a  plate  of  biscuit  in  the  other,  here  set  them  down 
on  the  table. 

"Now  Charlotte,"  she  said,  seating  herself  near 
her  sister  and  speaking  in  a  business-like  tone,  "  I 
should  like  to  understand  why  you  dislike  those 
girls  so  much." 

"  I  never  said  I  did." 

"  But  you  have  shown  it  every  time  they  were 
mentioned.  Surely  you  need  not  keep  your  reason 
a  secret  from  me." 

"  You  are  logical,  are  n't  you  ?  "  returned  Miss 
Norman,  including  her  sister  in  her  offended  man 
ner.  "  I  suppose  you  would  like  to  see  a  pro 
cession  of  all  your  acquaintances  whom  you  can 
not  reasonably  dislike  come  down  here  and  spend 
the  summer." 

Agnes  smiled.  "You  are  dodging  cleverly, 
Charlotte.  You  always  could.  I  think  Olin  must 
get  the  accomplishment  from  you  ;  but  I  am  after 
the  plain  truth  now.  Dr.  Latimer  likes  those 
girls  and  wishes  to  serve  them." 

"  And  that  is  reason  for  you  to  do  the  same, 
I  suppose,"  retorted  Miss  Charlotte  sarcastically. 

Agnes  looked  into  her  eyes  steadily.  "You 
know  it  is,"  she  answered,  "  a  sacred  reason." 


MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION.  183 

A  slow  blush  crept  over  the  face  of  the  elder 
sister.  Evidently  reference  had  been  made  to 
some  subject  which  was  rarely  touched. 

"  Agnes,  dear,  why  can't  you  sympathize  with 
me  ?  "  she  asked  more  gently.  "  Don't  you  think 
at  least  Dr.  Latimer  should  have  asked  our  per 
mission  ?  " 

"  I  remember  your  telling  him  once  that  we  did 
not  own  the  whole  island." 

"  Yes,  but  there  are  so  few  in  our  little  commu 
nity.  I  think  it  is  tacitly  understood  that  no  one 
is  to  be  invited  who  would  not  be  agreeable  to 
all." 

"  Would  you  have  given  your  consent  had  Dr. 
Latimer  asked  your  permission  ?  " 

There  were  limits  to  Miss  Norman's  willingness 
to  dodge.  Her  Puritan  ancestry  constrained  her 
now. 

"  Probably  not,"  she  replied. 

Agnes  bowed.  "  And  equally  probably  Dr. 
Latimer  knew  that,"  she  suggested,  "  and  there 
fore  determined  to  bring  about  the  greatest  good 
to  the  greatest  number.  I  confess  I  should  sup 
pose  you  would  hail  it  as  a  bit  of  good  fortune 
that  Dickie's  wonderful  Miss  Helen  is  domesti 
cated  next  door  and  will  continue  her  good  in 
fluence  upon  him." 

Miss  Charlotte's  disconsolate  expression  did  not 
lighten,  but  she  nodded.  "  It  may  be  a  very  good 
thing  for  Dickie,"  she  admitted. 

"  As  for  Miss  Vernon,"  continued  Agnes,  "  pro- 


184  DR.  LA  TIMER. 

viding  that  the  girl  likes  to  go  in  bathing  and 
is  willing  to  be  bothered  with  the  child,  it  will  be 
an  immense  relief  to  my  mind  to  have  one  more 
young  person  about  to  look  after  him.  Of  course 
that  is  a  selfish  consideration,  but  then  it  is  a  con 
sideration." 

Miss  Norman  nodded  again.  "  She  does  seem 
to  understand  children  and  like  them,"  she  replied, 
somewhat  wrought  upon  by  these  suggestions. 

"  Then  there  remains  only  the  eldest,"  said 
Agnes. 

"  Ugh  !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Norman  in  unmiti 
gated  disapproval. 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  her?"  asked 
the  other  with  sincere  curiosity. 

"  Just  about  everything,"  answered  Charlotte. 

"  Well,  I  have  met  her  a  few  times  and  failed 
to  discover  anything  unattractive." 

"  Very  well.  She  is  vain  and  haughty  and  in 
solent,"  announced  Miss  Norman  emphatically, 
"and  if  you  have  not  observed  it,  all  is  you  will 
live  to.  Her  poverty  would  be  nothing  against 
her  if  she  did  not  walk  and  carry  her  head  as 
though  she  owned  the  city  of  Boston,  and  her 
good  looks  would  be  well  enough  if  she  were  not 
so  well  aware  of  them.  Her  manner  —  well,  you 
would  naturally  expect  a  girl  in  her  position  to  be 
have  humbly  and  deferentially ;  but  there  !  if  Dr. 
Latimer  is  going  on  to  turn  their  heads  the  way 
he  has  been  doing  all  the  spring,  how  can  you 
wonder  ?  " 


MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION.  185 

"  He  must  see  something  in  them,"  suggested 
Agnes. 

"  Pooh  !  The  less  he  saw  the  more  he  would  do 
for  them." 

"  You  don't  really  want  to  go  away,  Char 
lotte?" 

"  Go  away  ?  "  Miss  Norman  turned  upon  the 
speaker  as  though  she  had  suggested  a  totally 
novel  and  outrageous  thought.  "  Do  you  suppose 
I  would  allow  Josephine  Ivison  to  think  she  could 
drive  me  away  from  the  island?  " 

Agnes  wiped  her  mouth  with  her  pocket-hand 
kerchief. 

"  Well,  do  treat  them  well,"  she  said.  "  You 
will  be  sure  to  regret  it  afterward  if  you  don't." 

"  My  dear,  be  good  enough  to  remember  that  I 
knew  manners  when  you  were  a  baby.  There  is 
Dickie,"  as  a  sleepy  shout  came  down  the  stair. 

"  Make  him  dress  himself,"  advised  Agnes. 
"  The  coffee  is  growing  cold." 

"  No;  don't  want  to,"  shouted  Dickie  in  response 
to  this  suggestion. 

"  He  can't  very  well,"  said  Miss  Charlotte  in  a 
low,  deprecating  tone,  starting  for  the  stairs. 

"  Just  wait  a  minute,"  returned  her  sister,  lay 
ing  a  detaining  hand  on  her  arm.  "  Dickie,"  loudly, 
"  if  you  will  be  a  good  boy  and  dress  yourself 
quickly  I  will  take  you  to  see  Miss  Helen  and  Miss 
Vernon." 

"Truly?"  in  excited  incredulity. 

"  Yes ;  they  have  come  to  visit  Dr.  Latimer." 


186  DR.   LATIMER. 

A  shrill  yell  of  delight  and  a  scrambling  about 
overhead  told  that  Miss  Agnes  had  reckoned  cor 
rectly,  and  her  sister,  with  a  sigh  of  resignation, 
followed  her  example  in  sitting  down  at  table. 

"  What  did  you  learn  about  the  grass  ?  "  asked 
Agnes. 

"  I  forgot  all  about  it.  I  opened  Dr.  Latimer's 
door  and  there  stood  those  girls,  and  I  was  so 
startled  that  all  thought  of  my  errand  left  me.  I 
managed  to  say  something,  I  don't  know  what,  and 
got  home  as  quickly  as  I  could." 

"  Did  n't  you  shake  hands  with  them  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  I  shook  hands  with  them,  —  or  they 
with  me." 

In  a  surprisingly  short  time  Dickie  came  clatter 
ing  down  the  uncarpeted  stairs  and  rushed  blindly 
for  the  door. 

"  Come  here,  come  here,"  called  Miss  Charlotte. 

"But  I  want  to  see  "  - 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  but  you  must  eat  your  breakfast 
first  and  give  them  time  to  eat  theirs.  Come  right 
here," 

The  small  boy  submitted  reluctantly  to  his  fate, 
stretching  his  neck  between  every  two  spoonfuls 
of  oatmeal  to  gaze  out  of  the  window  which  com 
manded  a  view  of  the  Sea  Shell. 

At  last  he  saw  the  cottage  door  open  and  Dr. 
Latimer,  Josephine,  and  Vernon  come  out  upon  the 
piazza. 

"  There 's  Miss  Yernon.  Hi !  "  shouted  Dickie, 
waving  his  spoon  eagerly.  "  Please  let  me  go, 


MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION.  187 

auntie,"  and  slipping  down  from  his  chair  the  child 
made  another  excited  rush  for  the  door. 

"  I  will  go  with  him  and  speak  to  them,"  said 
Agnes,  rising  from  the  table ;  "  but  as  I  am  not 
amphibious  like  Dickie,  I  shall  have  to  slip  on  my 
overshoes." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  the  speaker,  lift 
ing  her  skirt  clear  of  the  long  grass,  crossed  the 
space  between  the  cottages. 

Josephine  came  to  the  edge  of  the  Sea  Shell 
piazza  and  smiled  her  a  greeting. 

"  You  look  as  though  you  were  coming  through 
a  Christmas  card,  among  that  profusion  of  daisies 
so  much  larger  than  life,"  she  said. 

Miss  Norman  smiled  as  she  welcomed  the  sisters. 
Dickie,  after  noisily  greeting  Vernon,  had  rushed 
into  the  house  in  pursuit  of  Helen. 

"  What  a  surprise  you  have  given  us,  Doctor," 
said  Agnes,  her  gracious  manner  implying  that  the 
surprise  was  a  pleasant  one.  "  Did  you  order  this 
morning  especially  for  your  guests  ?  " 

"  It  came  according  to  the  law  of  compensa 
tion,  I  suspect.  They  arrived  in  the  fog  yester- 
day." 

"  Are  n't  we  fortunate  to  be  here  ?  "  asked  Jose 
phine.  "  Dr.  Latimer  has  just  been  telling  us  the 
names  of  the  islands  in  sight.  What  an  enchant 
ing  little  bay  is  made  by  the  curve  of  the  land 
right  here !  " 

"  Yes,"  murmured  Agnes,  with  a  lingering  look 
out  upon  the  water,  — 


188  DR.  LATIMEB. 

"  '  And  where  the  islands  stand  apart, 
The  ocean's  waves  roll  in  to  pay 
Some  tribute  from  the  sea's  great  heart 
To  gentle,  queenly  Casco  Bay ; 
To  Casco  Bay  !     Dear  Casco  Bay ! 
Your  soul  imbibes  the  salt-sea  spray, 
And  sings  with  lovely  Casco  Bay.' 

"You  will  be  sure  to  join  us  who  sing  with 
Casco  Bay.  Do  you  swim,  Miss  Josephine?" 

"  I  suppose  I  could  not  now.  I  did  swim  when 
I  was  a  child." 

"  It  will  come  back  to  you,"  said  Miss  Norman. 
"  We  go  into  the  water  very  often,  but  my  sister 
and  I  have  never  learned  yet  to  venture  beyond 
our  depth." 

"  The  water  looks  as  though  it  might  be  cold." 

"  Oh,  we  don't  go  in  here.  We  can  offer  you 
something  much  more  inviting.  If  you  arrived  in 
a  fog  I  suppose  you  have  yet  to  discover  the  cove." 

"Yes,"  returned  Dr.  Latimer.  "They  have 
everything  to  discover.  We  are  only  waiting  for 
Miss  Helen  to  be  ready  to  join  us  in  an  introduc 
tory  ramble,  after  which  these  guests  will  be  given 
the  freedom  of  the  island,  and  go  and  come  as  they 

like." 

Helen  being  soon  dismissed  by  Persis  with  kind 
peremptoriness,  the  little  cavalcade  set  forth  at 
tended  by  Dickie,  who  skipped  along  by  his  teacher 
like  a  happy  little  shadow. 

Agnes  entered  the  cottage.  "Well,  Persis," 
she  said,  standing  in  the  doorway  of  the  kitchen, 
"  how  do  you  like  this  increase  of  family  ?  " 


MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION.  189 

"  I  like  it  first-rate,  or  I  guess  I  should  n't  a-had 
h"  returned  Miss  Applebee,  wringing-  out  the  dish 
cloth   she   had  just   been  washing.     "  The  doctor 
left  it  to  me  to  decide,  but  I  never  had  two  minds 
about  it  from  the  minute  he  suggested  havin'  'em 
come.     Says  I  to  myself,  them  orphans  are  goin' 
to  have  a  lonely  time  of  it  an'  a  hot  time  of  it  in 
Boston,  situated  as  they  be.     I  knew  they  was  nice 
girls  and  't  wan't  likely  they  'd  be  any  trouble,  and 
I  can  see  they  won't  be.    They  take  hold  like  girls 
that 's  been  brought  up  to  have  sense  instead  o' 
nonsense,  and  they  're  so  tickled  it  does  a  body 
good  to   see  'em.     There  they  go   now."     Persis 
gazed  through  the  window  at  the  little  group  fol 
lowing  the  path  through  a  field  strewn  with  clo 
ver  blossoms  of  a  size  and   royal   depth  of  color 
unknown  inland.     Profuse  buttercups  with  no  al 
loy  in  their  gold  reflected  the  sun  from  their  pol 
ished  petals,  as  they  rose  high  amid  the  daisied 
grass. 

Beyond  lay  the  cove,  dimpling  and  sparkling  in 
the  arms  of  the  island,  its  steep  sheltered  shore 
picturesque  with  trees,  excepting  at  its  extreme 
end,  where  the  gracious  curve  of  its  white  beach 
invited  the  bather. 

Miss  Norman  and  Persis  from  their  window 
could  see  the  girls  stop  when  the  view  first  dawned 
upon  them.  Beyond  the  outside  arm  of  the  island 
lay  a  larger  cove,  and  bordering  that,  Harpswell 
Neck,  with  its  shining  cottages.  To-day  in  the 
clearness  the  view  only  stopped  with  the  White 


190  DE.  LATIMER. 

Mountains,  whose  majestic  outlines  were  defined 
against  the  sky  eighty  miles  away. 

"  I  know  it  pleases  Dr.  Latimer  to  have  such  a 
morning  for  his  guests,"  observed  Miss  Norman. 
"  Persis,  what  are  we  going  to  do  about  the  grass  ? 
We  shall  have  to  send  you  after  Captain  Liph  if 
he  does  n't  appear  this  morning." 

"  I  don't  know,  I  'ni  sure.  There  goes  Cap'n 
Amos,  now." 

"  Oh,  I  want  him,"  exclaimed  Agnes,  hurrying 
to  the  kitchen  door  to  intercept  the  captain  as  he 
came  leisurely  down  the  lane. 

"  Good-morning,  Cap'n  Amos.  Have  you  time 
to  do  a  little  job  for  me?  I  can't  get  hold  of 
Saunders." 

"  Good-mornin',  Aunt  Agnes.  Guess  Saunders 
is  pretty  busy  on  the  new  cawtage,  ain't  he?" 
The  speaker  smiled  benignly. 

"  Yes,  and  I  want  a  shelf  fastened  up." 

"  All  right.  Guess  I  can  do  it  now,"  replied 
the  obliging  Jack-of-all-trades. 

Persis  came  out  upon  the  back  piazza.  "  Good- 
mornin',  Cap'n  Amos.  Got  that  cod  for  me  this 

•       5   O   9} 

morn  in  ( 

"  No,  I  have  n't.  Got  lawbsters,  though,  'f  ye 
want  'em." 

Persis  nodded  with  that  facile  resignation  to  a 
change  of  menu  which  a  housekeeper  at  the  island 
soon  learns.  "  Yes,  I  want  'em,"  she  returned 
promptly. 

"  All  right.     You  '11  find  'em  there,"  remarked 


MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION.  191 

the  captain  affably.  "  We  took  a  sturgeon  in  the 
pound  eight  foot  long  this  mornin'.  It  must 
a-weighed  three  hundred." 

"  What  did  you  do  with  him  ?  " 

"  Killed  him.     Had  to,  to  git  him  out." 

"But  you  saved  him?" 

"  No  ;  't  wan't  any  use." 

"  Why,  Cap'n  Amos  !  "  exclaimed  Persis  regret 
fully.  "  I  wish  you  had  cut  off  a  few  steaks  for 
me." 

"  Well,  I  will  next  time,  "f  ye  like  that  kind. 
Jest  as  soon  eat  a  skunk  myself,"  and  the  captain 
moved  off,  following  Miss  Norman. 

"  We  're  waiting  for  Cap'n  Liph  to  cut  this 
grass,"  she  said,  picking  her  way  through  its  wet 
luxuriance.  "He  has  been  promising  us  ever  so 
long." 

"  Guess  he  '11  be  'round  to-day,  very  likely,"  re 
turned  the  other  optimistically.  "  Good-mornin', 
Aunt  Charlotte,"  he  added  as  Miss  Norman  met 
them  at  the  door. 

"  He  says  he  thinks  Cap'n  Liph  is  coming  to 
day,"  explained  Agnes,  "  and  he  is  going  to  put 
up  the  shelf  for  us." 

"  Here  it  is,"  returned  Miss  Charlotte.  "  How 
are  all  at  home,  Cap'n  Amos  ?  "  she  added,  with  a 
sincere  kindness  in  tone  and  look  which  would  have 
shown  her  face  in  a  novel  light  to  the  Ivison  girls, 
could  they  have  seen  it. 

"  The'r  all  tol'ably,  thank  ye,  'xcept  Annie. 
She  ain't  very  hearty  jest  now." 


192  DE.   LATIMER. 

"  That  is  what  I  noticed.  We  want  the  shelf  in 
this  corner,  Cap'n  Amos.  Did  she  have  a  hard 
winter?" 

"We-ell,  the  weather  was  extra  bad  this  year 
and  she  was  shut  up  a  grea'  deal.  The  hills  was 
one  glare  o'  ice  and  the  wind  was  sharper  'n  com 
mon.  Annie's  cough  was  bad,  an'  she  did  n't 
ventur'  out  o'  the  house  once,  only  the  few  days 
when  't  was  mawdrate  an'  hahnsome." 

"  Ah,  that  was  hard  for  her,  I  know,"  replied 
Miss  Norman  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  hammer 
blows.  "  We  want  this  little  image  fastened  to  the 
shelf,"  she  continued,  producing  the  statuette  of  a 
child  at  present  sitting  upon  empty  air  and  indus 
triously  singing  out  of  a  music-book  resting  upon 
his  chubby  bare  knees. 

Captain  Amos  turned  his  head  from  his  work. 

"  Hold  the  little  bugger  up  here  so  's  I  can  see 
it,"  he  said.  "  Oh,  yes.  Aunt  Martha  tried  one 
time  to  bring  a  thing  like  that  down  from  Portland 
in  her  trunk,  but  when  she  got  here  't  was  stove  all 
to  thunder.  There  ain't  much  substance  to  'em." 

Agnes  sat  watching  the  proceedings.  "  You  and 
Cap'n  Liph  are  n't  at  all  alike,  Cap'n  Amos,"  she 
remarked,  after  a  pause,  during  which  the  amateur 
carpenter  had  been  carefully  adjusting  the  statu 
ette. 

"  That  ain't  so  strange,"  replied  the  captain, 
taking  a  nail  from  between  his  teeth.  "  My  father 
was  married  twice  an'  had  two  craps  o'  childern. 
I  b'long  to  the  second.  How 's  that,  Aunt  Char- 


MISS  NORMAN'S  AFFLICTION.  193 

lotte?"  he  continued,  dropping  his  head  back  to 
survey  the  singing  child  that  was  now  safely  spiked 
to  its  place. 

"  Thank  you  ;  that  is  very  nice.  Now,  if  you 
see  your  brother  this  morning,  do  remind  him, 
won't  you  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

GINGER   ALE   AND    PEPPERMINTS. 

CAPTAIN  LIPH  with  his  oxen  and  mowing 
machine  did  move  leisurely  across  the  field  that 
day  and  relieve  the  minds  of  the  dwellers  in 
Maiden  Lane.  Before  night  a  thousand  blossoms 
lay  dying,  and  the  next  day  the  expiring  sweetness 
of  the  clover  filled  all  the  air. 

Josephine  rejoiced  later  in  the  sight  of  the  old- 
fashioned  hay-wagon  and  the  picturesque  form  of 
Captain  Liph  walking  beside  the  oxen,  as  he 
guided  them  with  the  touch  of  his  goad  and  many 
a  musical-toned  "gee  "  and  "haw." 

She  sat  on  the  side  step  of  the  Sea  Shell  piazza, 
her  sketch-block  in  her  lap,  and  the  old  man  saw 
her  and  smiled  as  he  approached. 

"  Wall,  how  are  ye  likin'  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Very  much,  indeed.  I  imagine  you  know  that 
every  one  must  be  happy  here,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  Pretty  sightly  place  in  summer,"  admitted 
Captain  Liph. 

"  I  was  just  thinking  that  the  ocean  looks  as 
though  I  could  dip  a  brush  in  it  and  paint  the 
fence  and  houses  blue  if  I  liked.  I  think  all  the 
indigo  in  Portland  must  have  fallen  into  the  water 
this  morning." 


GINGER  ALE  AND  PEPPERMINTS.          195 

"  Th'  ocean  can  look  a  number  o'  differ'nt 
ways,'"  remarked  the  old  man,  "  and  if  you  lived 
here  the  year  'round  you  'd  be  apt  to  put  your 
house  as  far  away  from  it  as  you  could  git.  I  've 
seen  these  cawtages  in  winter  stickin'  up  here  like 
spikes,  stiff  with  ice." 

"  It  is  astonishing  what  a  difference  there  is  in 
climate  on  the  two  sides  of  the  island,"  answered 
Josephine. 

"  Yes,  and  it 's  cold  enough  anywheres,  come 
winter,  specially  for  folks  with  the  rheumatiz." 

"  Do  you  suffer  with  rheumatism  ? "  asked 
Josephine,  much  entertained  by  Captain  Liph's 
reposeful  speech  as  he  stood  against  the  back 
ground  made  by  the  oxen  and  wagon. 

"I  do  so,"  affirmed  the  low  voice  emphatically. 
"  I  declare  for  't,  I  did  think  last  winter  my  hip 
would  —  be  —  hove  —  out !  " 

"  Oh !     Too  bad." 

"  Well,  that  was  a  spell  o'  weather,"  contin 
ued  Captain  Liph  reminiscently.  "  'T  was  cold 
enough  to  shave  ye,  an'  the  wind  blew  like  the 
day  o'  jedgment.  I  s'pose  now  you  wouldn't 
b'lieve  that  the  bo'ts  pulled  the  island  round,  they 
tugged  so  hard  at  the'r  moorin's  ?  " 

"  That  is  very  wonderful,"  laughed  Josephine 
in  response  to  a  twinkle  in  the  captain's  eyes. 

"  Well,  Spot,  we  must  go  on." 

"You  don't  know  what  a  picture  you  make 
with  your  oxen,"  said  Josephine,  as  he  turned. 

"  I  guess  the?r  ain't  much  danger  of  our  makin* 


196  DR.  LATIMEE. 

a  very  pretty  pictur9"  answered  the  old  man,  smil 
ing,  as.  the  heavy  animals  moved  slowly  on  their 
way. 

The  younger  Miss  Norman  came  out  of  her  cot 
tage,  and  crossing  the  grass  to  Josephine  sat  down 
beside  her. 

"  Do  you  think  you  '11  get  the  hay  all  in  to 
day,  Captain  Liph  ?  "  she  asked  as  she  passed  him. 

"  Dunno  yet,"  he  answered,  as  he  sauntered  on. 
"  I  've  got  to  go  up-along  this  ahfternoon.  "Wher  's 
Olin  ?  Ain't  he  comin'  down  this  summer  ?  " 

"  I  think  not." 

"  What  did  he  say  he  had  to  do  this  after 
noon  ? "  asked  Josephine,  who  looked  wistfully 
after  the  white-haired  giant,  sorry  to  lose  the 
sound  of  his  voice. 

"  He  has  to  go  '  up-along.'  That  means  toward 
the  northern  end  of  the  island.  The  southern  end 
is  '  down-along.'  There  are  two  families  of  Mar 
tins  here,  and  to  distinguish  them  one  is  always 
referred  to  as  the  up-along  Martins  and  the  other 
as  the  down-along  Martins." 

Josephine  smiled  reflectively.  "  How  delicious 
it  all  is,"  she  said  at  last,  vaguely,  not  specifying 
whether  she  referred  to  Captain  Liph  and  his  pic 
turesque  team,  or  the  all-pervading  fragrance  of 
new-mown  hay,  or  the  foam-edged  tide  retreating 
now  in  its  daily  discouragement  from  the  effort  to 
reach  the  daisies  that  bloomed  in  gay  carelessness 
of  the  fate  of  their  withered  sisters  on  the  table 
land  above. 


GINGER  ALE  AND  PEPPERMINTS.         197 

"Have  you  been  to  the  Giant's  Staircase?" 
asked  Miss  Norman. 

"No.  Dr.  Latimer  is  to  tell  us  when  to  go.  It 
seems  there  is  a  great  choice  of  times  and  sea 
sons." 

"That  is  true.  The  wind  has  hardly  blown 
since  you  arrived.  This  light  breeze  is  unusual. 
For  the  most  part  life  on  the  island  always  seems 
to  me  like  life  on  the  deck  of  an  extraordinarily 
well-behaved  steamer  ;  the  wind  blows  so  steadily 
from  uncontaminated  space  and  the  water  surges 
so  heavily  about  our  little  hill.  One  has  the  abso 
lute  rest  of  a  sea  voyage  here." 

"  There  is  very  little  of  the  usual  salt  odor  to 
the  air.  I  have  noticed  that  ever  since  I  came." 

"  Yes ;  I  think  it  is  owing  to  the  comparative 
absence  of  seaweed.  The  water  is  very  deep  all 
about  us,  and  absolutely  clear,  you  see.  I  suppose 
if  the  ocean  were  to  roll  back  we  should  find  our 
selves  upon  a  mountain.  There  is  none  of  the 
usual  dampness  of  the  seashore.  My  sister  and  I 
leave  needles  and  scissors  down  here  all  winter 
and  find  them  free  from  rust  when  we  want  them 
again." 

"  Why  is  not  the  place  overrun  with  people  ?  " 

"  Don't  suggest  it !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Norman  in 
unaffected  horror.  "  There  is  nothing  to  do  here 
but  vegetate,  and  happily  most  people  want  some 
thing  beside.  Witness  Mr.  Randolph." 

"How  did  you  and  Miss  Charlotte  happen  to 
discover  the  island  ?  " 


198  DR.  LAT1MEU. 

We  came  to  Orr's  a  couple  of  summers,  and  0110 
day,  being  curious  to  explore  this  island,  we  packed 
a  basket  of  lunch  and  hired  a  man  to  set  us  over. 
I  needed  to  get  away  from  people.  I  was  not  so 
strong  then  as  I  am  now,  and  when  we  set  foot  on 
this  shore,  saw  the  cove,  and  walked  over  to  this 
cliff,  we  gloried  in  the  wildness  and  beauty,  and, 
remembering  the  bridge  which  invites  humanity 
to  invade  Orr's  Island,  looked  at  one  another  with 
the  same  thought.  No  steamer  touched  here  in 
those  days  and  the  following  summer  we  sailed 
down  from  Portland  with  Captain  Amos  and  set 
up  housekeeping  in  the  Nautilus.  Here  it  stood 
alone  for  a  year  or  two,  the  dear  little  home,  facing 
the  ocean  all  winter  011  this  bleak  height ;  but  lit 
tle  by  little  one  and  another  friend  has  followed 
our  example,  until  we  have  neighbors,  as  you  see. 
I  am  sure  it  seemed  a  strange  freak  to  the  island 
ers  that  any  one  should  choose  this  exposed  situa 
tion  rather  than  the  inner,  sheltered  portions  of 
land,  and  we  bought  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
here  of  Captain  Amos  for  seventy-five  dollars, 
His  wife,  dear  soul,  said  that  coming  into  such 
an  amount  of  money  would  not  make  any  differ 
ence  to  her.  She  should  work  just  the  same. 
Now,  naturally,  a  higher  value  is  set  upon  the 
ground  as  the  owners  discover  that  it  is  desirable ; 
but  nowhere  have  I  found  kinder  friends,  greater 
integrity  or  truer  dignity  than  among  the  upright 
Christian  people  on  this  island." 

"  I   cannot    tell    you,"    said   Josephine,    "  how 


GINGER  ALE  AND  PEPPERMINTS.         199 

strange    it   sounds    to  me    to  hear    them  call  you 
'  Aunt  Agnes.'  ' 

"  It  is  what  they  have  always  heard  Olin  call 
me,  and  afterward  Dickie.  It  is  their  way  of  ex 
pressing  good  feeling.  In  return  Mrs.  Amos  is 
'  Aunt  Martha '  to  us.  You  must  see  her.  She 
has  looked  exactly  the  same  ever  since  we  first 
knew  her;  and  as  she  eats  cloves  all  the  time,  I 
have  the  feeling  that  she  is  preserved  like  an 
apple.  Where  are  your  sisters  this  morning  ?  " 

"  They  have  gone  to  some  rock  pools  where 
Dickie  has  promised  they  shall  find  sea-creatures. 
[  think  I  see  them  coining  across  the  field  now. 
Yes,  there  they  are.  Let  us  meet  them." 

Accordingly  Agnes  and  Josephine  strolled  along 
the  bluff  and  met  the  jolly  trio  with  their  tin  pails, 
accompanied  by  Puggy,  who  wore  an  uncommonly 
careworn  expression  on  his  wrinkled  brow,  as 
though  the  fatigues  of  the  morning  had  been 
heavy. 

Agnes  smiled  as  she  recalled  Captain  Amos' 
deliberate  comment  when  he  was  first  confronted 
with  this  novel  specimen  of  dog-kind  :  — 

"  That  there  critter 's  had  his  nose  stove  in." 

She  patted  the  panting  little  animal. 

"  Such  funny  things  as  we  have  !  "  exclaimed 
Vernon  eagerly.  "I  can't  wait  to  have  you  see 
them,  Josephine.  Why,  Dickie  knows  just  where 
to  find  everything.  You  must  come  with  us  the 
next  time." 

Dickie  led  the  way  to  the  Nautilus  and  bounced 


200  DE.  LATIMEE, 

into  the  house,  from  whence  he  brought  a  large 
soup  tureen.  In  this  receptacle  they  carefully 
placed  the  stones,  weeds,  water,  and  finally  the 
snails,  anemones,  barnacles,  starfish,  and  sea-ur 
chins  they  had  captured.  Miss  Charlotte  came 
out  and  looked  dubiously  at  the  group  sitting 
about  in  attitudes  of  abandon  on  her  piazza. 

"  Just  see  what  a  lot  we  brought,  Miss  Nor 
man  !  "  cried  Vernon,  her  white  Tarn  O'Shanter 
on  the  back  of  her  head  and  her  face  flushed  with 
heat.  "  Dickie  is  just  splendid  at  finding  them." 

"  So  he  is,"  returned  Miss  Norman,  condescend 
ing  to  stoop  over  the  tureen  and  investigate. 

"  What  are  those  green  things  ? "  asked  Jose 
phine. 

"  Sea-urchins,"  replied  Helen,  lifting  one  out. 
"  Here,  take  it  and  see  what  a  strange  thing  it  is." 

She  laid  the  prickly  object  in  Josephine's  palm, 
and  the  latter  regarded  it  curiously  for  a  second ; 
then,  as  the  animal  laid  its  spines  down  she  ut 
tered  a  cry  and  bestowed  the  urchin  with  informal 
haste  upon  the  piazza. 

"  Oh,  it  wriggled  and  shut  up  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Well  that  is  more  than  some  people  know 
enough  to  do,"  laughed  Agnes  lazily.  "  Did  n't 
you  suppose  it  was  alive  ?  " 

"  Not  that  unpleasant  way.  I  thought  it  was  a 
nice,  quiet  burr." 

"  Let 's  race  a  couple  of  them,"  suggested  Dickie, 
and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  placed  two 
urchins  on  the  piazza,  where  they  worked  their 


GINGER  ALE  AND  PEPPERMINTS.        201 

laborious  way  across  the  boards,  leaving  a  wet  trail 
behind  them  ;  but  their  pace  could  not  be  consid 
ered  exciting1,  and  Dickie,  perceiving  Captain  Liph 
and  the  hay-wagon  in  the  distance,  gave  a  whoop 
of  joyful  discovery  and  bounded  away,  followed  by 
Puggy. 

Vernon  held  out  a  starfish  to  Josephine,  who, 
observing  the  stirring  and  groping  of  its  pink  arms, 
declined  to  receive  it. 

"  I  like  to  look  at  them,"  she  said  apologetically, 
"  but  I  can't  bear  to  feel  them  wiggle." 

"  What  in  the  world  can  be  more  interesting," 
observed  Miss  Charlotte,  forgetting  her  antipathies 
for  the  moment,  in  her  always  lively  interest  in 
these  little  wonders  of  the  sea.  "  There,  Miss 
Helen,  the  anemones  are  beginning  to  blossom." 

The  girls  eagerly  put  their  heads  together  to  see 
the  unfolding  fringes. 

"  And  see  those  snails,  how  fast  they  pull  them 
selves  along  —  for  snails,"  said  Vernon.  "  See 
them  wave  their  funny  horns." 

"  Watch  the  barnacles  now,"  added  Miss  Char 
lotte,  tilting  the  tureen  and  setting  the  water  in 
motion,  whereat  one  of  the  barnacles  opened  his 
little  door  and,  thrusting  out  a  tiny  black  hand 
with  fine  thread-like  fingers,  began  in  a  business 
like  fashion  to  gather  something  from  the  water. 

"  The  cunning  thing !  "  exclaimed  Josephine. 

"  It  thinks  the  tide  is  coming  in,"  said  Miss 
Charlotte,  and  she  met  Josephine's  eyes  as  they 
were  lifted  eagerly  to  hers,  with  a  smile  which 


202  DR.  LATIMER. 

Miss  Ivlson  in  Boston  would  have  waited  long  to 
receive.  The  air  is  so  pure  on  the  island  that  it 
disinfects  even  the  human  heart,  and  one  of  the 
barnacles,  common  and  numerous  as  the  sands  of 
the  sea  and  small  as  the  tip  of  Miss  Norman's  fin 
ger,  had  come  from  the  ocean  that  morning  to  do 
its  little  part  in  the  service  of  the  Maker. 

"You  have  made  a  study  of  these  creatures, 
have  n't  you,  Miss  Norman  ?  "  asked  Josephine. 

"  Well,  yes,  in  a  small  way,  for  Dickie's  sake." 

"He  quoted  you  so  often  while  we  were  at  the 
pools,"  remarked  Helen,  "  that  I  saw  you  had  been 
his  incentive." 

Agnes,  who  had  disappeared,  here  came  to  the 
door  and  invited  the  group  into  the  house,  where 
they  were  soon  sitting  about  the  cool  parlor,  each 
provided  with  a  glass  of  ginger  ale. 

"  Ginger  ale  is  our  beverage  here,"  explained 
Agnes,  "  and  you  cannot  be  said  to  have  been  ini 
tiated  into  the  Maiden  Lane  community  until  you 
have  drunk  a  few  bottles,  and  eaten  a  pound  or  so 
of  peppermints."  She  indicated  a  white  and  gold 
dish  on  the  table  which  wras  filled  with  the  confec 
tion.  "  The  ale  we  send  to  Portland  for,  but  the 
peppermints  are  indigenous  to  the  soil." 

Miss  Charlotte  sipped  from  her  glass  and  looked 
about  on  the  assembled  company  with  feelings  of 
bewilderment.  She  was  too  hospitable  by  habit 
not  to  be  aware  of  some  satisfaction  in  the  pleas 
ure  expressed  by  the  young  people  in  the  pretty 
arrangements  of  her  house,  which  was  more  dainty 


GINGER  ALE  AND  PEPPERMINTS.        203 

in  its  decoration  than  Dr.  Latimer's.  She  had  not 
failed  to  notice  the  abrupt  change  for  the  better  in 
Dickie  since  coming  again  under  Helen's  influence  ; 
so  the  only  remaining  grievance  which  she  conld 
rationally  call  one  was  the  circumstance  of  Jose 
phine's  presence,  and  her  bewilderment  arose  from 
the  fact  that  this  grievance  was  becoming  shadowy. 
The  young  woman's  beauty  was  so  happy  in  these 
surroundings  it  seemed  rather  enjoyable  than 
otherwise,  and  the  unconscious  stateliness  of  her 
bearing  roused  less  antagonism  since  she  showed 
a  proper  gratitude  and  appreciation  of  her  good 
fortune  in  being  here  at  all ;  an  attitude  of  rejoi 
cing  wonder  being  the  only  one  Miss  Norman 
could  tolerate  in  a  neophyte  in  the  island  life. 

Dr.  Latimer  came  in  at  the  open  door  and  viewed 
the  group  with  a  look  of  satisfaction. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  of  no  use  to  offer  you  this,  doc 
tor,"  Agnes  indicated  one  of  the  bottles.  "  Dr. 
Latimer  is  in  reality  an  alien,  for  he  has  never 
been  brought  to  enjoy  the  regulation  island  re 
freshments." 

That  afternoon  the  whole  party,  as  was  usual  on 
5[uiet  days,  went  in  bathing  in  the  cove  ;  and  when 
they  came  out,  the  steamer's  whistle  having 
Bounded,  Vernon  volunteered  to  go  for  the  mail. 
She  climbed  the  green  hill  to  the  road,  when,  glan 
cing  back  to  see  what  passengers  the  boat  had 
brought,  a  familiar  figure  approaching  gave  her  a 
start  of  pleasant  surprise.  In  these  last  happy 
days  she  had  not  had  time  to  think  of  Mr.  Ran- 


204  DR.  LATIMEE. 

dolph,  and  now  she  told  herself  exultingly  that  as 
a  watched  pot  never  boils,  forgetting  him  had  had 
the  good  effect  to  bring  him. 

She  stood  still  and  waited  while  he  drew  near 
and  lifted  his  hat. 

"  Sensible  man,"  she  said  demurely. 

"  Thank  you.     Well,  how  are  ye  likin'  ?  " 

"  I  'm  loving,"  she  replied. 

"  Are  you  ?  "  Olin  inspected  the  bright  counte 
nance  as  they  moved  along  the  road.  "  You  're 
beginning  to  color,  I  see." 

"  Yes,  look  at  my  hands,"  Yernon  spread  them 
out.  "  Well,  you  did  n't  exaggerate  the  charms 
of  this  place  in  the  least,  except  the  'Fountain 
House.' ':  The  girl  looked  over  her  shoulder  toward 
the  little  two-story  wooden  building,  which  with 
its  bare  floors  entertained  simply  the  rare  guest 
who  wished  to  spend  the  night  at  the  island ;  "  but 
I  like  it  a  thousand  times  better  the  way  it  is,"  she 
added. 

"  How  are  your  sisters  ?  " 

"Well  and  happy  as  they  can  be.  We  have 
all  just  come  out  of  the  water,  and  I  hurried  ahead, 
because  I  wanted  to  be  the  first  to  catch  the  mail." 

"  Thank  you." 

"  What  ?  Oh !  After  that  I  can't  stay  with  you 
another  minute.  Au  revoir"  and  Yernon  sped  on 
her  way  down  the  hill,  rough  with  rocks,  to  where 
near  the  water's  edge  stood  the  little  store  which 
combined  the  post-office  with  its  miscellaneous 
merchandise. 


GINGER  ALE  AND  PEPPERMINTS.        205 

When  the  others  returned  more  leisurely  from 
the  bath,  the  Misses  Norman  entered  their  cottage 
from  the  back  piazza. 

"  Why,  the  front  door  is  open,"  said  Miss  Char 
lotte.  "Did  I  forget  it?" 

"Probably  you  did,"  returned  her  sister;  when 
suddenly  a  flute-like  whistle  sounded  the  theme  of 
the  love-song  from  the  "  Walkiire." 

"  Olin  has  come !  "  exclaimed  Agnes,  flinging 
open  the  screen  door  and  stepping  out  upon  the 
piazza  where  her  nephew  was  lying  in  a  hammock 
and  looking  very  long  and  very  comfortable.  He 
regarded  her  astonished  countenance  with  the 
slightest  smile,  but  did  not  disturb  himself. 

"  Well !  "  she  exclaimed,  biting  her  lip.  "  By 
whose  invitation  are  you  here?  " 

"  Don't  dissemble  your  joy  at  seeing  me,  Aunt 
Agnes.  Come  and  kiss  me." 

"You  have  made  a  little  mistake,  I  think,"  she 
continued.  "  You  surely  intended  to  go  on  to  Bar 
Harbor.  What  you  want  is  there.  Your  place  is 
with  the  'harriers  of  scenery,'  and  people  that  hop. 
You  are  not  worthy  to  behold  this  lonely  subliin- 

ity." 

"You  have  n't  kissed  me  yet,"  observed  Olin. 

"  I  expressly  told  you  you  could  n't  come,"  con 
tinued  Agnes  implacably. 

"  Olin,  my  dear,  dear  boy ! "  exclaimed  Miss 
Charlotte,  appearing  and  charging  upon  her  ne 
phew  with  a  cordial  caress.  "  I  waited  to  light  my 
wicks,  for  when  Agnes  said  you  were  here  I  knew 


206  DE.  LATIMEE. 

you  would  like  some  hot  cornbread  for  supper. 
I  'm  so  glad  you  decided  to  come.  I  must  go  in 
and  set  the  table.  Agnes,  tell  him  whom  we  have 
next  door.  He  will  be  so  surprised." 

"  Yes,  he  will  be  so  surprised,"  repeated  Agnes 
with  scorn. 

Randolph  stepped  out  of  the  hammock  and  his 
aunt  took  a  step  backward.  "  Now,  don't  you 
touch  me  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

For  answer  Olin  strode  forward  and  gathering 
her  in  his  arms  lifted  her  lightly  and  deposited  her 
on  the  couch  he  had  just  vacated.  Then  he  held 
the  netting  across  her  with  one  hand  and  calmly 
looked  down  upon  his  prisoner. 

"  How  did  you  find  out  they  were  here  ?  "  asked 
Miss  Norman,  unsubdued  even  by  her  lowly  posi 
tion. 

"Who?" 

"  Those  girls  you  have  come  down  to  see." 

Her  jailer  began  to  swing  the  hammock  gently. 

"Now,  Olin  Randolph,  stop  that  at  once,"  she 
exclaimed  perturbedly.  "  You  know  I  cannot  bear 
to  swing." 

"  Are  you  glad  to  see  me  ?  " 

"  You  wretch  !  "  hysterically. 

"Did  I  understand  you  to  say  that  you  had 
been  watching  every  boat  for  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Olin,  please  !     Yes,  anything  !  " 

Randolph  steadied  the  hammock,  and,  stooping, 
kissed  his  aunt's  laughing,  vexed  face. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said  calmly.  "  It  is  sweet  to 
be  loved." 


CHAPTER   XV. 


THE  wind  Dr.  Latimer  had  been  waiting  for 
sprang  up  that  afternoon,  and  the  following  morn 
ing  a  line  of  foam,  stealing  from  the  point  of  land 
which  jutted  out  to  sea  south  of  the  cottages  across 
the  blue  waves  northward,  told  the  story  of  the 
agitation  along  the  rugged  shore. 

At  the  proper  hour,  when  the  tide  was  nearly  at 
its  height,  the  party  was  to  set  forth. 

Persis  took  from  the  curtained  corner  of  the 
parlor  three  tall  staves  and  gave  each  of  the  girls 
one. 

"  What  is  this  for?  "  asked  Josephine. 

"  It 's  a  third  leg,"  returned  Miss  Applebee 
sententiously,  "  and  you  '11  be  glad  enough  of  it. 
Have  you  all  got  on  your  rubber-soled  shoes  ? 
That 's  right.  Now  tie  your  hats  down  good  and 
tight  and  good  luck  to  you." 

"  Are  n't  you  coming,  Persis  ?  " 

"  Can't.  Got  to  forage  for  our  dinner  or  we 
won't  get  any." 

"  What  a  lot  of  trouble  you  have,"  said  Helen 
contritely. 

*'  Oh,  it 's  kind  of  excitin'  to  keep  house  at  the 


208  DR.   LA  TIMER. 

island,"  answered  Persis  good-humoredly.  "  You 
can  never  tell  what  you  '11  get,  or  whether  you  '11 
get  anythin',  and  havin'  to  hunt  down  your  vittles 
and  go  after  'em  takes  time,  but  it 's  all  right.  I 
like  it.  Go  along,  now.  Dr.  Latimer  's  waitin' 
for  you." 

Dickie  danced  across  the  grass  impatiently,  and 
was  relieved  to  see  the  girls  come  out.  The  other 
members  of  the  Nautilus  family  joined  them  as 
they  passed  the  house,  the  ladies  carrying  staves 
similar  to  those  Persis  had  produced,  and  wearing 
hats  tied  down  with  wind-defying  veils. 

"  Don't  we  look  like  pilgrims  ?  "  asked  Helen  of 
Olin. 

"Yes,  and  I  hope  you  feel  due  reverence  for 
your  shrine.  I  understand  this  is  to  be  your  first 
view  of  the  stairs." 

"  It  is,  and  we  are  eager  for  it ;  but  how  funny 
we  all  look."  Helen  glanced  involuntarily  at  Miss 
Charlotte,  who  was  wearing  an  ulster  which  had 
endured  the  wind  and  weather  of  many  island 
summers. 

"  It  is  a  part  of  the  creed  of  Maiden  Lane  to  look 
as  appalling  as  possible,"  said  Randolph. 

The  girls  watched  the  Misses  Norman's  use  of 
the  stout  sticks  in  passing  through  the  ups  and 
downs  of  the  boulder-strewn  fields,  but  Vernon 
scorned  hers  as  she  skipped  along,  closely  shad 
owed  by  Dickie. 

The  roaring  of  the  water,  as  the  steepness  and 
height  of  the  rocky  shore  increased,  grew  ever 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  DISCOVERY.  209 

louder  until  by  and  by  the  company  stood  at  the 
point  which  had  been  named  the  Giant's  Staircase. 
Between  two  precipitous  walls  of  rock  huge  boul 
ders  were  placed,  stair-like,  and  up  these  mammoth 
steps  at  high  tide  the  water  plunged  with  a  wild 
roar.  Meeting  the  resistance  of  the  gray  walls,  it 
rebounded  with  a  shock  which  flung  the  foam  high 
in  the  air,  while  at  the  retreating  of  the  wave  a 
thousand  cascades  and  miniature  bridal  veils  flowed 
back  from  the  interstices  of  the  granite.  A  seeth 
ing,  hissing  mass  of  water  boiled  ceaselessly  in  the 
cauldrons  formed  by  submerged  rocks  along  the 
shore,  and  on  its  snowy  bosom  lay  flecks  and  balls 
of  yellow  foam  churned  to  a  lasting  consistency  by 
the  powerful  tide. 

It  was  such  a  revelation  of  force  as  one  may  see 
at  many  points  along  New  England  shores,  but 
fortunately  for  the  Ivisons'  standing  with  Miss 
Norman,  it  was  a  complete  novelty  to  them,  and 
their  appreciation  of  the  grandeur  of  the  scene 
satisfied  her. 

"  I  should  not  want  to  come  here  if  I  were  in 
any  trouble,"  said  Helen  to  Dr.  Latimer,  who  had 
given  her  his  hand  across  the  rocky  steeps  and 
chasms  until  they  sat  together  on  the  edge  of  the 
high  cliff.  "  There  is  something  terrible  in  such 
unrest." 

"  Yes,  I  understand." 

The  thundering  of  the  incoming  breakers  made 
speech  inaudible  to  any  but  one's  very  near  neigh 
bor,,  and  Josephine,  from  where  she  sat  with  the 


210  DE.  LATINER. 

others  of  the  party,  looked  over  to  where  Dr.  Lati- 
mer  was  watching  her  sister's  face  and  wondered 
what  they  were  saying.  The  combination  of  the 
blinding  sunlight,  relentless  rush  of  the  wind,  and 
wild  uproar  of  water  was  almost  painful  to  her 
now ;  but  were  she  in  Helen's  place  all  would  be 
magically  changed. 

Mr.  Randolph  was  her  next  neighbor.  "  Here 
is  a  fine  one  now,"  he  remarked,  as  a  roller  of  un 
usual  size,  clear  and  compact  as  green  glass,  rushed 
powerfully  landward. 

"Superb!"  exclaimed  Josephine,  holding  her 
breath  at  the  splitting  shock  with  which  the  water 
was  driven  high  in  air,  the  myriad  flecks  of  foam 
falling  back  with  graceful  deliberation. 

"  We  felt  that,"  said  Olin,  as  the  girl  wiped  the 
invisible  spray  from  her  face. 

Dickie,  who  had  been  darting  about  familiarly 
and  fearlessly  on  the  slippery  rocks,  disappeared 
for  a  time,  and  here  approached,  running,  with 
something  clasped  carefully  in  one  hand. 

"  The  strawberries  are  ripe,  Cousin  Olin,"  he 
exclaimed  delightedly.  "  I  found  these  right  over 
there  in  the  pasture." 

He  opened  his  little  palm,  disclosing  a  dozen  or 
more  of  the  delicate  berries  jammed  in  their  difficult 
pilgrimage  until,  to  any  eyes  but  the  small  boy's, 
they  presented  a  decidedly  martyred  appearance. 

Randolph  regarded  them  dubiously.  "  'M,  — • 
nice,"  he  returned ;  then  seeing  the  radiant  little 
face,  "  They  're  very  nice,  Dickie,"  he  added. 


AGNES  NORMAN- S   DISCOVERT,  211 

"  I  picked  them  for  you,"  said  the  child. 

Josephine  thought  she  heard  a  low  groan  through 
the  thunder  of  the  elements.  "Oh  —  a  —  thank 
you.  Don't  you  want  them  ?  Do  eat  them  your 
self  ;  I  'd  rather  you  would,"  declared  Olin  with 
pathetic  sincerity. 

"  Oh,  no.  They  're  for  you,"  repeated  the  boy, 
regarding  the  red  mass  with  an  admiration  which 
emphasized  his  generosity.  "  I  can  get  some 
more." 

"  Well,  thank  you,  then." 

Randolph  held  out  his  hand  to  receive  the  treas 
ure,  looking  at  Josephine,  who  received  his  glance 
appreciatively.  "  I  have  n't  a  doubt  as  to  the  pur 
ity  of  his  intentions,"  he  murmured,  while  Dickie 
delayed  his  departure  until  he  had  enjoyed  his 
beneficiary's  first  taste  of  the  fruit. 

"  Why,  he  is  nice,"  thought  Josephine,  as  Olin 
waited  for  his  cousin  to  be  safely  out  of  sight  be 
fore  he  added  another  tint  to  the  bottle-green 
waves  and  white  foam,  and  wiped  his  hands  on  his 
handkerchief. 

Indeed,  Josephine's  grievances,  one  and  another, 
seemed  all  to  have  been  left  behind,  perhaps  ac 
cidentally,  in  Boston.  All  that  had  offended  her 
in  these  acquaintances  seemed  a  hazy,  unimportant 
memory  now.  There  was  nothing  here  but  happi 
ness.  To  be  sure  her  craving  to  be  within  sight  of 
Dr.  Latimer's  face  and  within  sound  of  his  voice 
was  frequently  unsatisfied,  as,  once  assured  that 
his  guests  found  their  surroundings  congenial,  he 


212  DR.   LATIMER. 

left  them  very  much  to  their  own.  devices,  absent 
ing  himself  from  the  house  many  hours  of  each 
day.  This,  however,  was  only  a  variation  in  de 
gree  of  contentment.  The  island  was  but  two 
miles  long  and  one  wide ;  she  knew  he  was  either 
somewhere  within  its  limits  or  out  in  his  boat  and 
soon  to  return,  and  she  disciplined  herself  to  emu 
late  his  own  unselfishness.  Why  should  she  expect 
a  lion's  share  of  his  companionship  ?  Had  he  not 
come  here  to  be  alone  ?  and  she  said  to  her  sisters 
that  Dr.  Latimer  had  shown  a  certain  confidence 
in  their  judgment  and  good  taste,  by  the  very  fact 
of  permitting  them  to  share  his  roof  in  these  weeks 
of  relaxation,  and  that  they  must  not  abuse  it. 

"  He  keeps  watch  of  us  all  the  time,"  returned 
Helen  smiling.  "  He  knows  pretty  definitely  how 
our  day  is  to  be  spent  before  he  takes  himself  off." 

"  Do  you  think  we  worry  him  ? "  asked  Jose 
phine. 

"  No.     I  believe  he  likes  to  have  us  here." 

"  I  know  he  does,"  added  Vernon  complacently. 
"  I  think  Dr.  Latimer  is  really  fond  of  me." 

"You  always  were  a  modest  violet,  Vernon," 
laughed  Helen,  but  Josephine  gazed  at  the  young 
est  wistfully. 

"  He  does  like  you,"  she  said.  "  I  think  you 
amuse  him  and  do  him  good." 

But  the  passage  of  days  developed  a  fact  which 
Josephine  had  already  suspected. 

It  became  evident  that  the  younger  Miss  Nor- 
man  was  the  doctor's  most  valued  friend. 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  DISCOVERY.  213 

The  girl's  alert  eyes  and  ears  were  daily  discov 
ering  proofs  of  the  deep  and  solid  understanding 
which  subsisted  between  these  two.  Their  rela- 
tion  to  one  another  puzzled  her.  She  saw  that 
Miss  Agnes'  watchfulness  of  the  doctor  was  as 
keen  as  her  own,  and  her  quickness  was  unfailing 
to  further  any  desire  or  plan  of  his.  Frequently 
after  tea,  when  the  little  community  on  the  cliff 
were  strolling  about  in  social  fashion  by  the  even 
ing  sea,  and  dancing  or  playing  games  upon  the 
grass,  these  two  would  stroll  away,  drawing  Jose 
phine's  heart  after  them  as  they  disappeared  in  the 
distance. 

She  was  humiliated  by  the  unrest  and  lack  of 
interest  in  her  surroundings  which  suddenly  pos 
sessed  her  at  such  times,  and  forced  herself  to  be 
bright  and  responsive  in  such  an  unusual  degree 
that  Mr.  Randolph  made  gratifying  progress  in 
his  efforts  toward  a  friendly  relation  with  her  ; 
while  Vernon,  whom  no  word  or  action  of  Olin's 
escaped,  decided  indignantly  that  her  sister  was 
becoming  a  flirt,  and  gave  herself  up  to  an  abandon 
of  gayety  with  Dickie,  thereby  lifting  that  young 
person  to  the  seventh  heaven  of  delight.  Thus 
even  the  handful  of  persons  on  this  peaceful  island 
contributed  their  share  to  the  great  play  of  life,  and 
concealed,  and  acted,  and  accidentally  gave  pleas 
ure  and  pain,  one  profiting  by  another's  loss,  as 
people  are  doing  all  the  time  the  world  over ;  of 
fering  another  proof  that  wherever  there  are  hu 
man  hearts  there  are  tragedy  and  comedy,  and  the 


214  DR.  LATIMER. 

play  must  go  on  even  amid  surroundings  which 
seem  silently  to  rebuke  all  selfish  longings  and 
limitations. 

Little  by  little  there  grew  up  in  Josephine's 
mind  a  wariness  toward  Agnes  Norman.  The 
latter  held  the  place  of  all  in  the  world  which  the 
girl  most  coveted,  —  the  place  of  Dr.  Latimer's 
trusted  friend,  —  and  Josephine  was  so  ashamed  of 
her  consequent  jealousy  that  she  wished  not  to  be 
much  with  Miss  Norman  lest  some  sign  of  it  should 
escape  her ;  but  this  avoidance  became  less  easy 
since  Agnes'  liking  for  herself  was  evidently  grow 
ing  every  day. 

"  I  have  never  known  Dr.  Latimer  to  show  such 
marked  personal  preference  for  any  acquaintances 
as  he  has  for  you  and  your  sisters,"  Miss  Norman 
said  to  her  once. 

"  You  mean  excepting  for  yourself."  Josephine 
had  not  realized  how  blunt,  how  rude  the  reply 
would  sound  ;  but  it  forced  itself  from  her  heart, 
and  she  colored  with  vain  longing  to  recall  it. 

"  Oh,  for  myself,"  returned  Agnes,  and  the  girl 
could  not  fail  to  perceive  that  in  her  far-away 
gaze  there  was  no  trace  of  offense,  "  I  belong  to 
Dr.  Latimer,  —  to  his  service.  Whatever  I  am  or 
have  or  can  do  for  him  is  his.  But  excuse  me," 
coming  back  to  her  surroundings,  "  you  cannot  un 
derstand  me." 

In  that  first  instant  as  she  glanced  back  at  Jo 
sephine  she  caught  an  expression  of  pain  in  eyes 
and  lips  that  startled  her.  It  was  gone  in  an  in- 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  DISCOVERY.  215 

slant,  but  it  had  been  so  intense  and  surprising 
that  Miss  Norman  felt  confused. 

They  stood  in  silence  for  half  a  minute,  there 
by  the  railing  on  the  cliff's  edge.  Josephine,  an 
gry  with  herself  for  her  resentment,  and  not  know 
ing  how  to  respond  to  Miss  Norman's  frankness, 
while  the  latter's  heart  filled  with  pity  for  her  com 
panion,  whatever  might  be  the  key  to  that  look 
she  had  surprised  in  her  eyes. 

It  was  an  amazing  thought  to  her  that  Josephine 
might  be  jealous  of  herself,  —  so  astonishing  that 
it  turned  her  grave  to  consider  in  n  flash  many 
ramifications  of  the  idea. 

She  had  never  given  the  girl  so  kind  and  ear 
nest  a  gaze  as  she  bent  upon  her  now. 

"  Let  us  sit  down  here  a  minute,"  she  said,  fling 
ing  open  a  gate  in  the  slight  fence  and  indicating 
a  flat  rock  which  made  an  inviting  seat. 

They  suited  the  action  to  the  word,  and  the 
daisies,  few  and  rare  now,  waved  at  their  feet. 

"  You  know  enough  about  me,  probably,"  con 
tinued  Miss  Norman,  "  to  call  me  a  successful 
woman." 

Josephine  assented,  mystified  by  this  beginning. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  went  on  her  companion,  "  that 
any  woman  can  be  called  wholly  successful  who 
has  failed  to  become  a  wife  and  mother.  I  believe 
that  in  an  ideal  state  of  the  world  every  woman 
would  be  a  wife  and  a  mother ;  but  I  am  success 
ful  in  my  profession,  it  is  useful  to  myself  and 
others,  and  I  am  happy  in  it." 


216  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  You  must  be,  very,"  replied  Josephine. 

"  I  said  too  mucli  to  you  a  moment  ago  regard* 
ing  Dr.  Latimer,  not  to  say  more  "  — 

"  Don't  think  you  must !  "  exclaimed  the  other 
impetuously.  "  Please  don't !  " 

"  Listen.  All  that  I  am  I  owe  to  him.  When 
I  was  a  child  my  parents  were  in  very  modest  cir 
cumstances,  but  seeing  my  natural  talent  for  music 
they  contrived  to  have  me  w^ell  taught,  and  when  I 
was  eighteen  years  of  age  I  was  considered  one  of 
the  best  amateur  pianists  in  Boston.  About  that 
time  there  happened  to  me  what  comes  to  over 
power  the  talent  of  many  a  gifted  girl.  I  fell  in 
love.  An  engagement  followed,  and  although  at 
this  distance  it  all  seems  as  though  it  had  happened 
to  some  one  else,  I  do  not  like  even  now  to  dwell 
upon  that  period.  I  wonder  if  all  engaged  girls 
are  as  happy  as  I  was.  I  hope  so.  The  man  I 
was  to  marry  lived  in  New  York,  and  he  spent  a 
few  days  of  each  month  with  me  during  the  year 
of  our  engagement.  All  that  time  I  saw  a  great 
deal  of  Dr.  Latimer,  who  was  the  intimate  friend 
of  one  of  my  brothers,  and  took  great  interest  in 
my  affairs,  losing  no  opportunity  of  civility  to  the 
man  I  loved.  At  last  the  wedding  time  drew  near. 
My  family  united  in  helping  on  the  preparations, 
as  is  the  way  at  a  time  which  draws  forth  all  the 
affection  in  the  hearts  of  a  girl's  friends.  All  was 
ready.  The  invitations  were  out.  The  wedding- 
dress,  I  remember  it  so  well,  lay  on  a  bed  in  al] 
its  misty  daintiness  —  well,  details  do  not  matter." 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  DISCOVERY.  217 

Miss  Norman's  voice,  which  had  been  agitated, 
grew  firm  as  she  clasped  the  hand  Josephine  had 
stolen  into  hers.  "  The  evening  before  the  wed 
ding,  the  lover  of  that  poor  girl,  whose  anguish  I 
can  scarcely  recognize  now  as  my  own,  eloped  with 
another  woman." 

Josephine  drew  a  sharp  breath. 

"  For  a  few  weeks  I  did  not  see  Dr.  Latimer. 
He  was  ill  himself  at  the  time,  but  when  at  last  he 
came  to  me  it  was  the  beginning  of  my  new  life  !  " 
Miss  Norman's  lips  trembled  and  she  was  forced 
to  pause  a  moment.  "  All  he  did  for  me  I  cannot 
fully  explain  without  revealing  that  which  I  have 
not  the  right  to  disclose.  Up  to  that  time  I  had 
known  him  as  a  happy,  careless  young  fellow,  with 
plenty  of  money  and  the  desire  to  let  others  enjoy 
it,  but  now  he  developed  a  grave  purpose  which 
surprised  us  all." 

"  He  had  loved  her  all  the  time,"  thought  Jose 
phine  acutely,  and  the  sudden  pressure  she  gave 
Miss  Norman's  hand  was  involuntary. 

"  I  had  fallen  into  a  morbid  condition  from 
which  none  of  my  own  family  were  able  to  rouse 
me.  The  physician  shook  his  head  and  hinted  at 
melancholia,  but  finally  Dr.  Latimer  arose  from 
his  own  sick-bed  and  came  to  me.  He  was  in 
trouble  of  his  own  at  the  time,  which  made  his  en 
deavor  to  uplift  and  strengthen  another  so  touch 
ing  that  even  I,  sunk  in  unnoticing  despondency, 
was  moved  by  it.  In  the  conclave  of  my  family 
he  planned  a  new  life  for  me.  I  was  to  go  abroad 


218  DR.  LATIMER. 

with  my  sister  Charlotte  for  a  companion,  there  to 
cultivate  my  musical  gift.  How  Dr.  Latimer 
found  means  to  persuade  me  —  how  he  supplied 
not  only  the  money  for  the  undertaking,  but  resus 
citated  my  dead  ambition  and  put  strength  into  my 
weak  will  —  is  a  long  story.  A  still  longer  one 
would  be  to  follow  the  faithful  friend  as  he  held 
me  to  my  uncertain  purpose  through  that  first 
year,  never  allowing  me  to  stand  alone  until  he 
saw  that  it  was  safe.  I  have  repaid  him  his  money ; 
but  do  you  think  the  debt  is  discharged  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  Miss  Norman." 

"  Charlotte  and  I  are  nearly  alone  in  the  world 
now.  Of  those  who  knew  what  Dr.  Latimer  did 
for  me  so  silently  not  one  remains.  Not  Olin  him 
self  knows  as  much  as  I  have  told  you  ;  and  I  have 
told  you,  because,"  Miss  Agnes  paused  a  long  mo 
ment,  then  added,  "  because  I  wanted  you  to 
know,  Josephine." 

The  girl  slid  an  arm  around  the  older  woman 
while  her  excited  thoughts  were  in  a  tumult. 
All  that  Agnes  had  told  her  seemed  to  point 
to  such  devotion  as  it  seemed  to  her  nothing  short 
of  miraculous  to  resist  in  the  case  of  Dr.  Lat 
imer. 

"  It  is  nearly  twenty  years  now  since  all  this 
took  place,"  said  Miss  Norman  musingly. 

Twenty  years.     The  wonder  grew  to  Josephine. 

"  A  short  lifetime,  you  see." 

"And  you  and  Dr.  Latimer  go  your  different 
ways  with  this  strong  bond  between  you,"  said  the 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  DISCOVERY.  219 

girl,  something  of  her  perplexity  showing  in  her 
voice. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Agnes  half  sadly.  "  I  some 
times  wish  his  path  were  as  easy  as  mine." 

"  You  mean  that  the  sort  of  work  he  does  is 
too  hard,  too  dangerous,"  said  Josephine.  "  Your 
sister  has  told  me  more  about  it  than  I  ever 
knew." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  replied  the  other,  sighing. 

"  Why  don't  you  —  you  who  have  so  much  in 
fluence  with  him  —  hold  him  back  ?  " 

"  Who  am  I  that  I  should  hold  him  back? "  re 
turned  the  other  quietly.  "  Beside,  you  are  mis 
taken,"  she  added  with  deliberate  purpose.  "I 
have  not  more  influence  with  him  than  others  have. 
You  have  observed  that  he  likes  to  be  with  me, 
but  it  is  because  our  memories  are  the  same  and  I 
know  all  his  life,  through  and  through.  There  is 
a  certain  restfulness  in  such  companionship,  you 
understand,  and  through  the  long  working  season 
we  seldom  meet." 

Josephine  colored  violently  as  though  she  had 
been  caught  in  the  act  of  coveting  another's  pos 
sessions.  She  felt  so  young,  so  left  out,  so  pas 
sionately  envious  of  this  favored  woman,  heart- 
sorrow  and  all. 

"  Oh,  dear,"  thought  Miss  Norman,  perceiving 
the  blush,  "this  is  bad  business."  She  had  be 
come  interested  in  Josephine,  so  much  so  as  to  be 
seriously  disturbed  by  the  anticipation  of  unhappi- 
ness  for  her. 


220  DR.  LATIMER. 

She  welcomed  the  sight  of  Olin,  who  appeared 
from  the  Nautilus  door  and  approached. 

"  I  want  to  thank  yon,  Miss  Agnes,"  said  Jose 
phine,  also  perceiving  him,  and  speaking  low  and 
hurriedly.  "  I  appreciate  your  kindness  to  me 
fully."  ' 

And  then  Olin,  who  was  regarding  them  and 
just  coming  into  earshot,  was  astonished  to  see  his 
aunt  apparently  without  reason  kiss  her  companion. 

"  Why  this  unseemly  spooning  ?  "  he  inquired, 
although  there  was  a  light  of  unmistakable  grati 
fication  in  his  eyes. 

"Is  that  you,  Olin?"  replied  his  aunt  without 
turning  her  head.  "  How  are  you  going  to  kill 
time  this  afternoon  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  singularly  unfortunate  question,  as  it 
happens,"  replied  the  young  man.  "  It  is  a  libel 
on  my  intention  to  ask  Miss  Ivison  if  I  may  escort 
her  to  Little  Harbor,  where  she  wants  to  make  a 
sketch." 

"  That  was  quite  too  bad  of  me,"  admitted  Miss 
Norman  with  mock  contrition. 

"  Miss  Ivison  has  told  me,"  continued  Olin, 
44  that  an  awe  of  horns  deters  her  in  her  artistic 
pursuits,  and  I  offer  my  services  as  an  entirely 
reliable  cow-diverter." 

44  My  dear  girl,  you  need  n't  be  in  the  least 
afraid  of  the  cows  on  this  island,"  declared  Agnes. 
44  They  are  used  to  being  milked  and  cared  for  by 
women  and  they  are  much  more  likely  to  attack 
Olin  than  they  are  you." 


AGNES  NOLMAN'S  DISCOVERY.  221 

"All  the  better  for  Miss  Josephine.  Would 
you  deprive  her  of  the  opportunity  to  sketch  a 
toreador  from  life  ?  Aunt  Agnes  is  astonishingly 
valiant  just  now,  but  ask  her  how  she  enjoys  en 
countering  one  of  these  innocent  little  green 
snakes.  Did  n't  you  ever  observe  that  high-step 
ping,  studious  air  with  which  she  crosses  the  long 
grass  in  the  field?  Not  that  there  ever  was  a 
snake  there." 

Miss  Norman  shrugged  her  shoulders  in  a  shud 
der. 

"  There  are  a  few  snakes  on  the  island,"  she 
said  reluctantly,  "  but  from  earliest  times  there 
has  been  no  paradise  without  the  serpent,  and  I 
suppose  it  is  their  inheritance  to  approach  women. 
Olin  never  sees  one.  Do  take  him  with  you,  my 
dear,  if  you  can  make  any  use  of  him.  It  is  a 
charity  to  employ  him  when  he  is  not  sailing." 

"  I  am  always  meeting  the  oxen  in  unexpected 
places,  and  they  are  so  big,"  returned  Josephine, 
"  and  yes,  I  don't  like  the  cows  either.  I  should 
be  very  glad  to  go  to  Little  Harbor,  Mr.  Randolph. 
Thank  you  for  remembering  it." 

"There  is  Dickie,  still  demolishing  strawber 
ries,"  remarked  Olin,  indicating  a  little  red  hat 
close  to  the  grass  a  few  rods  away.  "  The  flag  will 
be  flying  at  half-mast  for  him,  Aunt  Agnes,  if  you 
don't  interfere ;  but  wait  till  we  're  out  of  sight,  I 
prithee." 

When  Josephine  had  procured  her  materials  and 
the  couple  had  gone,  Agnes  looked  thoughtfully 


222  DR.  LATIMER. 

after  them  a  moment  and  then  entered  the  Sea 
Shell. 

"  Who  was  that  went  with  Miss  Josephine  ?  " 
asked  Persis,  who  was  sitting  by  the  kitchen  table 
cracking  lobsters  and  throwing  the  meat  into  a 
bowl. 

"  Mr.  Randolph." 

Miss  Applebee  laughed  out.  "  I  thought  so. 
First  he  takes  one  of  'em,  then  another,  and  after 
ward  the  next,  and  again  all  three.  I  tell  the 
doctor  he  can't  marry  'em  all." 

"Why,  Persis,"  returned  Miss  Agnes,  "you  are 
startling.  Give  me  a  claw." 

Miss  Applebee  wrenched  off  the  desired  dainty 
and  passed  it  into  the  waiting  hand. 

"  Oh,  I  see  about  all  that's  goin',"  she  remarked, 
"  for  all  I  don't  have  time  to  go  round  as  much  as 
the  rest  of  you." 

"  Well,  it  seems  to  me  you  're  disposing  of  my 
nephew  rather  high-handedly,"  returned  Miss  Nor 
man,  taking  the  red  shell  between  her  teeth  and 
forcing  out  the  meat. 

"  Oh,  no  ;  he  's  bound  to  fall  in  love  with  one  o' 
the  orphans,  if  he  hangs  around  'em  as  much  as 
he  does.  If  he  don't  think  they  're  pretty  good 
comp'ny,  what 's  he  here  for  ?  He  never  set  foot 
on  the  island  all  last  summer,  as  you  know  very 
well.  The  summer  afore  he  turned  up  his  nose  at 
it  and  went  off  to  Europe.  Do  you  remember  the 
ride  he  took  us  up  to  Brunswick  one  September  ? 
How  that  boy  acted  and  cavorted  that  day !  He 
was  full  o'  the  old  Nick !  " 


AGNES  NORMAN'S  DISCOVERY.  223 

"  The  sour  apples  ?  "  asked  Miss  Norman,  smil 
ing. 

"  Yes,"  laughed  Persis,  one  hand  on  her  fat  side. 
"  He  fed  'em  to  the  horse  and  said  he  was  in  hopes 
o'  givin'  him  the  colic,  so  's  he  'd  go  faster." 

Miss  Agnes  shook  her  head.  "  You  need  n't 
make  any  matches,  Persis.  When  Olin  falls  in 
love  it  won't  be  with  three  girls  at  once." 

"  Well,  I  know  that 's  the  way  't  is  with  me," 
sighed  Miss  Applebee.  "  I  try  to  choose  betwixt 
'em,  and  it 's  a  fact  I  can't.  They  're  as  faithful 
and  good  as  they  can  be  about  helpin'  me,  and 
whichever  one 's  with  me  at  the  time  I  think  the 
most  on." 

"  I  am  glad  it  has  turned  out  so.  You  might 
have  had  trouble  to  change  the  plan  if  it  had  not 
proved  pleasant.  The  doctor,  I  judge,  is  as  well 
pleased  as  you  are." 

"  Indeed  he  is.  Why,  he  eats  just  twice  what 
he  did  before  he  came  down.  Anybody  can  see 
lie  's  growin'  stout." 

"  What  did  he  say  when  you  told  him  Olin 
could  n't  marry  the  three  girls  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  just  looked  pleasant.  That 's  the  way 
he  answers  mostly,  you  know." 

"  Has  he  a  favorite  himself,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  No,  I  guess  he  's  in  the  same  fix  I  am.  But 
it 's  my  belief  Olin  '11  simmer  down  to  one.  Why, 
this  island  is  a  powerful  romantic  place,"  said 
Persis,  deftly  pursuing  her  work.  "Take  a  day 
like  this,  when  the  White  Mountains  are  standin' 


224  J)A\  LATIMER. 

there  in  plain  sight  and  the  wind  comin'  across  the 
sea  and  singin'  love-songs  to  every  beauty  o'  natur', 
why,  I  feel  as  romantic  as  the  next  one  myself.  I 
don't  know  whether  to  scallop  these  or  make  'em 
into  salad,"  she  continued  musingly. 

"  Salad ;  and  don't  let  Olin  know  it  or  he  will 
visit  you  without  any  regard  to  the  orphans." 

"  I  '11  send  him  in  a  dish.  Yes,  ma'am,  these 
rocks  and  woods  are  full  o'  pitfalls  for  a  man's 
heart  if  he  's  helpin'  a  pretty  girl  through  'em." 

"  I  don't  think  Olin  has  become  conscious  of  his 
heart,  and  my  sister  and  I  do  not  want  to  spare 
him  to  any  one,"  returned  Miss  Norman,  rising ; 
"  but  romance  away,  Persis,  it  is  a  harmless  amuse 
ment  if  you  confide  in  no  one  but  the  doctor  and 
me ;  do  not  suggest,  even  in  joke,  such  a  thing  to 
the  girls  themselves." 

"  'T  ain't  likely,"  observed  Persis  dryly.  "  I 
like  to  see  roses  bloom  first-rate.  I  hain't  ever 
pulled  one  open  yet." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

MOUNT   PISGAH. 

PERSIS  continued,  as  she  described  her  own  pru 
rience,  to  keep  her  eyes  open  and  her  mouth  shut. 
Mr.  Randolph  was  supremely  unconscious  that  she 
considered  it  a  momentous  thing  thr.t  he  so  often 
in  the  days  that  followed  accompanied  Josephine 
on  her  sketching  expeditions,  and  that  young  lady 
when  she  returned  to  the  house,  her  fingers  deco 
rated  with  colored  chalk  in  more  hues  than  ever 
were  on  sky  or  sea,  failed  entirely,  as  she  displayed 
her  sketch  to  Miss  Applebee,  to  read  the  signs  of 
pursed  mouth  and  furtive  glance  with  which  the 
housekeeper  regarded  the  pastel  and  then  the 
artist's  pleased  face. 

"  It  does  look  a  little  like  it,  does  n't  it, 
Per  sis  ?  "  the  girl  would  say,  critically  regarding 
the  sketch. 

"  It  looks  very  like  it  to  me,"  the  housekeeper 
would  reply  significantly,  and  for  the  next  half- 
hour  would  chuckle  to  herself  over  her  own  clever 
ambiguity. 

"  You  ain't  givin'  Mr.  Randolph  paintin'  lessons, 
are  you?"  she  asked  Josephine  one  day.  "He 
seems  to  be  goin'  along  pretty  reg'lar." 


226  DR.  LAT1MEE. 

"No  indeed,"  returned  the  girl  carelessly. 
"  He  says  he  likes  to  read  aloud.  It  is  very  good- 
natured  of  him,  for  I  don't  have  to  keep  watch 
for  the  cattle  any  more.  We  have  very  pleasant 
times." 

"  I  hain't  a  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Persis,  hasten 
ing  into  the  kitchen,  where  she  grew  apoplectic  in 
the  darkest  corner  with  appreciation  of  her  own 
subtlety. 

But  if  Miss  Applebee  found  this  potential  court 
ship  a  laughing  matter,  the  youngest  of  her  guests 
did  not.  Vernon  was  often  invited  to  accompany 
the  pair,  but  she  invariably  refused,  preferring  to 
rush  down  to  the  cove,  and,  jumping  into  what 
Captain  Amos  termed  a  nVt,  find  vent  for  her 
feelings  in  muscular  exertion.  Other  vent  they 
never  found,  for  Vernon  had  plenty  of  pride,  and 
not  even  Helen  should  suspect  the  emotions  which 
were  thus  worked  off  in  a  wholesome  manner,  as 
she  sent  her  little  boat  flying  out  from  the  wooded 
shore. 

One  pleasant  early  evening  Josephine  was  help 
ing  Persis  wash  the  supper  dishes.  The  sound  of 
gay  voices  out  of  doors  came  through  the  open 
windows.  Olin,  Miss  Agnes,  Vernon  and  Dickie 
were  playing  an  exciting  game  of  bean-bags,  in 
which  four  bags  were  kept  flying  at  one  time,  and 
an  occasional  shriek  bore  witness  to  the  mishaps 
which  attended  a  failure  to  look  in  two  directions 
at  once. 

Dr.  Latimer  had  returned  that  afternoon  from  a 


MOUNT  PISGAII.  227 

trip  of  several  days  to  Boston,  where  Persis  told 
the  girls  he  had  probably  gone  to  oversee  person 
ally  the  progress  of  certain  of  his  philanthropic 
undertakings. 

"You  may  be  pretty  certain  he  didn't  go  on 
any  pleasant  errand,"  Miss  Applebee  remarked 
now,  as  she  took  the  glasses  from  the  steaming 
water.  "  I  don't  know  as  ever  I  knew  the  doctor 
of  late  years  to  do  any  thin'  just  to  please  himself. 
Such  a  boy  as  he  was  once,  too,  full  o'  life,  always 
cuttin'  up  and  raisin'  Cain."  Persis  sighed 
lieavily  and  shook  her  head. 

"  What  made  him  change  so  ?  "  asked  Josephine. 

"  Oh,  the  cares  o'  life,"  returned  Persis  vaguely. 
"  '  The  cares  o'  life,'  my  mother  used  to  say,  i  are 
many  and  multiplicarious,'  and  so  they  be.  Yes, 
half  the  time  I  declare  to  goodness  I  forget  the 
doctor 's  younger  'n  I  am ;  he  seems  so  settled 
down." 

"  I  don't  think  one  considers  age  in  connection 
with  Dr.  Latimer,"  returned  Josephine  musingly. 
"  He  seems  so  different,  so  apart  from  other  men." 

"  Why,  he  ain't  forty-five  yet,"  said  Persis, 
"  but  of  course  his  gray  hair  and  his  ways  make 
him  seem  older.  He  '11  get  done  with  life  sooner 
than  most,  I  expect,"  and  she  sighed  again. 

"  Don't  say  that." 

"  Oh,  well,  't  won't  make  much  difference 
whether  I  say  it  or  not,  I  s'pose ;  but  I  guess  folks 
have  just  about  so  much  given  'em  in  the  way  o' 
strength,  and  when  a  body 's  like  Dr.  Latimer  and 


228  DR.   LA  TIMER. 

does  n't  care  how  quick  lie  uses  up  his  share  just 
so  it 's  used  for  other  people,  why  't  ain't  apt  to  last 
long.  Most  folks  '11  take  all  that 's  given  to  'em, 
you  know  that ;  don't  you  ?  Well,  he  's  always 
givin',  givin'.  He  don't  care  the  turn  of  his  hand 
how  soon  it 's  all  gone,"  Persis  dashed  away  a  tear 
with  the  back  of  her  wrist,  "  and  when  he  does 
come  to  die  if  everybody  he  's  blessed  should  foller 
the  funeral  he  'd  have  a  train  longer  'n  any  that 's 
ever  been  seen  yet." 

"  Don't  talk  so,"  protested  Josephine  quickly. 

"  Then  what  does  he  want  to  go  philanderin'  off 
for  when  he  's  takin'  his  vacation  ?  "  retorted  Miss 
Applebee.  "  He  puts  me  out  of  all  patience. 
When  I  taxed  him  with  lookin'  worn  out  he  ad 
mitted  he  'd  been  up  all  night  at  a  deathbed.  I 
say  he  "  — 

The  appearance  of  Dr.  Latimer  himself  at  the 
window  checked  the  troubled  woman's  speech. 

"  Miss  Josephine,  the  sunset  is  going  to  be  fine," 
he  said.  "  Would  you  like  to  come  with  me  to 
see  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  quite  "  —  began  the  girl  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  go  right  along,"  interrupted  Persis. 
"  We  're  all  through.  Now,  don't  wait,  for  the 
sun  's  goin'  to  set  just  such  a  time,  and  dishes  can 
be  put  away  any  hour  o'  the  day  or  night." 

Josephine  snatched  up  a  shawl  and  joined  tha 
doctor.  She  looked  at  the  group  on  the  grass- 
They  had  stopped  their  game  and  were  restingr 
with  flushed,  laughing  faces.  She  glanced  a/ 


MOUNT  P  ISO  AH.  229 

Agnes,  but  the  latter  did  not  appear  to  observe 
that  for  once  she  was  supplanted. 

Dr.  Latimer  led  the  way  through  a  narrow  path 
worn  amid  the  long  grass  of  the  field  where  Cap 
tain  Liph  had  that  day  begun  mowing.  They 
came  out  upon  the  one  beaten  road  of  the  island 
which  led  over  a  rise  of  ground  and  then  descended 
nearly  to  a  level  with  the  sea,  losing  itself  in  a 
thick,  fragrant  avenue  of  firs  and  spruces.  This 
wood-road  was  bordered  on  one  side  by  the  cove, 
bright  glimpses  of  which  showed  through  the  trees, 
and  on  the  other  by  a  hill,  the  highest  point  of  the 
island,  which  had  been  named  Mount  Pisgah. 
This  height  Dr.  Latimer  had  chosen  as  their  desti 
nation.  They  turned  out  of  the  road  and  began 
its  ascent. 

"  First,"  he  said,  "  I  want  you  to  share  an  un 
written  poem  which  until  now  I  have  kept  entirely 
to  myself."  They  walked  a  few  steps  through  the 
long  grass,  then  the  doctor  paused. 

"You  see  where  those  two  rocks  set  their 
shoulders  out  of  the  hillside,  making  a  cozy  nook 
between  them  ?  Come  nearer  and  look." 

Josephine  obeyed  and  in  the  angle  formed  by 
the  boulders  she  saw  a  little  nest.  Above  it, 
rooted  in  the  scanty  earth,  grew  a  fern.  Three 
exquisite  fronds  arched  gracefully  above  the  nest, 
and  under  their  shade  the  mother  bird  was  brood 
ing  her  eggs.  The  stillness  was  absolute.  Near 
by,  dark,  rugged  trees  rose  from  the  hillside  and 
lichens  clung  to  the  granite  pushing  itself  through 


230  DR.  LATIMER. 

the  earth  round  about.  The  delicate  fern  seemed 
to  have  grown  in  that  rough  place,  drawn  by  sheer 
sympathy  toward  the  downy  home  in  its  hard 
setting. 

They  stood  half  a  minute  motionless,  then  Jose 
phine  looked  up  into  her  companion's  face. 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said,  radiant  with  pleasure. 

He  smiled  and  gave  her  his  hand  for  the  steep 
ascent  which  lay  before  them. 

Arrived  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  a  scene  was  un 
veiled  which  the  girl  never  forgot.  The  western 
horizon  was  on  fire  and  the  thick  smoke  of  clouds 
was  being  changed  from  glory  to  glory  by  envelop 
ing  flames.  At  last  the  west  burned  with  a  steady 
red-gold,  against  which  Washington  and  its  fellow 
peaks  stood  revealed. 

The  cove  took  on  deep,  rosy  tints,  while  at  the 
east  of  the  island  the  ocean  darkened  to  purple, 
and  distant  white  sails  seemed  to  stand  still  upon 
its  breast.  Above,  where  the  sky  showed  blue  as  it 
stretched  away  from  the  western  flame,  the  silver 
thread  of  a  new  moon,  attended  by  one  diamond 
star,  revealed  its  gentle  beauty. 

Josephine  and  her  companion  stood  in  silence 
for  a  time,  watching  the  changing  pageant,  then 
their  eyes  met  and  the  doctor  quoted :  — 

"  A  common  island,  you  will  say ; 
But  stay  a  moment :   only  climb 
Up  to  the  highest  rock  of  the  isle, 
Stand  there  alone  for  a  little  while, 
And  with  gentle  approaches  it  grows  sublime, 
Dilating  slowly,  as  you  win 
A  sense  from  the  silence  to  take  it  in." 


MOUNT  PISGAH.  231 

"But  Lowell  insists  on  the  loneliness,"  said 
Josephine.  "  A  little  farther  on  he  repeats  :  — 

"  Only  be  sure  you  go  alone, 
For  Grandeur  is  inaccessibly  proud  ' '  — 

"  Yes,"  returned  the  doctor  quietly  ;  "  but  in 
the  companionship  of  two  congenial  spirits  there 
is  found  the  perfection  of  solitude." 

The  girl  thrilled  at  his  words. 

"  The  beacons  are  flashing  out,"  he  continued. 
"  There  are  Cape  Elizabeth,  and  Half- Way  Light, 
and  Seguin,"  indicating  the  points  burning  in  the 
distance.  "  Mute  preachers  those  lights  are  to  me. 
What  better  reminder  does  a  man  need  of  his  duty 
to  cheer  and  warn  and  protect  his  brother-man 
amid  the  reefs  of  life?  I  always  think  of  'Let 
your  light  so  shine,'  when  I  see  them." 

"  I  do  not  believe  you  need  those  reminders," 
replied  Josephine,  with  the  courage  born  of  the 
honor  he  had  paid  her.  "  You  need  rather  to  be 
held  back  than  pressed  forward." 

Dr.  Latimer  gave  his  amused  smile.  "  Persis 
has  been  talking  to  you,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  supposing  she  has,"  returned  the  girl  be 
seechingly.  "  Do  you  —  do  you  think  it  is  right 
for  a  man  to  be  wasteful  of  himself?  " 

"  Decidedly  not,"  answered  the  other  gently. 
"  Before  the  light  goes  I  want  to  get  for  you  some 
wild  roses  which  grow  at  their  best  in  certain  hol 
lows  up  here." 

He  walked  away,  and  Josephine,  her  heart  puls- 


232  DR.  LATIMEE. 

ing  with  its  emotions,  not  least  among  which  was 
wonder  at  her  own  temerity,  wiped  away  hurriedly 
the  tears  which  would  spring  to  her  eyes.  Persis 
had  agitated  her,  the  glories  of  sky  and  sea  had 
stirred  her  deeply,  and  she  could  not  analyze  all 
that  swelled  her  heart  until  it  seemed  as  though  it 
must  burst. 

Dr.  Latimer  soon  returned,  cutting  away  the 
thorns  from  the  long  stems  of  such  wild  roses  as 
are  seldom  seen.  The  half -curled,  crisp  petals 
were  rich  in  color  and  size,  and  the  long  stems  bore 
a  wealth  of  green  leaves. 

Beautiful  as  the  offering  was,  Josephine  could 
not  speak  as  he  placed  it  in  her  hand.  lie  was 
surprised  by  her  silence,  and  regarded  the  roses 
with  attentive  admiration. 

"  These  are  as  fine  as  any  I  have  ever  found,'* 
he  said.  "  I  had  no  idea  what  a  wild  rose  might 
become  until  I  discovered  these  on  the  island. 
They  vary  in  different  localities  even  here,  but 
they  seldom  dwindle  to  the  proportions  of  the  or 
dinary  flower." 

He  looked  at  Josephine  for  a  response  and  the 
girl  was  panic-stricken  by  her  own  weakness  and 
lack  of  self-control.  Only  now  she  realized  how 
she  had  been  permitting  a  sentiment  to  grow  un 
til  its  roots  striking  into  the  depths  of  her  be 
ing,  it  overshadowed  and  dominated  all  else  in  her 
life. 

"  They  are  beautiful.  Forgive  me.  I  can't 
talk,"  she  returned  spasmodically,  more  disturbed 


MOUNT  PISGAH.  2oo 

by  the  annoyance  she  was  giving  than  by  any  fear 
of  betraying  herself. 

"  Why,  you  are  crying !  "  he  exclaimed  invol 
untarily  in  his  astonishment. 

"  And  I  don't  know  what  for,"  she  replied,  "  so 
wait  a  —  minute." 

Dr.  Latimer  stood  before  her,  feeling  extraordi 
narily  undecided,  but  his  unselfish  habit  of  thought 
—  his  clairvoyance,  as  it  was  sometimes  called  — 
came  to  his  aid. 

"  Persis  has  been  frightening  you  seriously,"  he 
said,  and  even  as  he  spoke  a  novel  chain  of  thought 
was  begun  which  disturbed  him  strangely. 

Why  should  it  frighten  this  girl  to  be  told  sto 
ries  of  danger  to  himself  ?  He  had  spoken  too 
quickly,  and  said  an  indelicate  and  unwise  thing. 

"  Yes,"  returned  Josephine,  regaining  control  of 
her  voice  and  speaking  low  but  firmly.  "  Persis 
did  frighten  me.  What  she  said  was  in  accord 
with  all  else  I  have  heard  of  you.  It  came  over 
me  a  moment  ago  overwhelmingly,  that,  spite  of 
all  which  might  be  said  and  done  to  dissuade  you, 
you  would  spend  your  life,  risk  it,  and  in  the  end 
lose  it  and  leave  us  all  "  — 

She  stopped,  for  her  voice  again  refused  its 
office. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  are  well,  Miss  Josephine  ?  " 
he  asked,  made  perplexed  and  anxious  by  her  in 
tense  tone. 

"  Oh,  Dr.  Latimer,  you  are  severe !  "  she  ex 
claimed. 


234  DR.  LATIN ER. 

"  I  severe  to  you  ?  You  know  that  would  be 
impossible,"  he  answered  in  a  shocked  voice  ;  "  but 
the  fear  you  express  is  so  surprising  —  so  little 
founded.  You  have  been  misinformed "  —  the 
speaker  paused  in  his  stiff  utterance,  his  self-pos 
session  shaken  by  this  surprising  experience. 
Something  throbbing  in  the  air  they  were  breath 
ing  told  him  this  ebullition  of  feeling  exceeded 
ordinary  gratitude,  yet  he  was  too  bewildered  to 
formulate  his  thoughts. 

"  You  go  often  amidst  contagion ;  is  n't  it  so  ?  " 
asked  the  girl. 

"  Yes,  but  so  does  every  doctor." 

"  You  are  not  in  the  profession  now." 

"  Illness  compelled  me  to  drop  a  regular  prac 
tice,  but  I  have  regained  my  health  since  those 
days,  and  naturally  I  use  my  knowledge  wherever 
it  will  be  of  use." 

"You  sacrifice  yourself  every  week  and  every 
day !  "  exclaimed  Josephine  passionately. 

"  I  have  had  no  one  to  fear  for  me  but  Persis 
for  many  years,"  replied  the  doctor,  "  and  she  con 
ceals  her  sentiments  from  me,  if  she  has  such 
apprehensions  as  you  express.  It  is  certainly  un 
warrantable  in  her  now  to  practice  upon  your  ten 
der-heartedness.  You  must  make  large  allowances 
for  the  faithful  creature  who  took  care  of  me  when 
I  was  a  child,  and  would  like  to  keep  the  same 
watch  and  ward  now.  I  shall  have  to  speak  to 
her  about  this.  As  a  physician  I  cannot  allow  her 
folly  to  make  you  suffer." 


MOUNT  PISGAIL  235 

In  the  waning  light  Josephine  looked  at  him 
with  sad  eyes.  "  I  am  not  very  tender-hearted,  I 
believe,"  she  answered,  "  and  I  certainly  am  not 
at  all  nervous  ;  but  I  see  your  position.  Persis  is 
right.  The  risk  you  constantly  run  does  not  seem 
important  to  you.  You  are  indifferent  to  life." 

"  You  are  wrong.  For  years  life  has  seemed 
tolerable  to  me." 

"Tolerable?" 

Dr.  Latimer's  deep  eyes  returned  her  gaze. 
"You  do  not  know  how  much  that  means  to  a 
man  who  has  ever  found  it  intolerable.  But  I  am 
not  saying  enough.  I  have  even  thanked  God 
that  lie  permitted  me  to  live  and  work." 

Josephine  clasped  her  hands  tightly  together  un 
der  the  fleecy  shawl.  "  I  am  so  far  away  from 
you,"  she  said,  drawing  a  deep  breath,  and  there 
was  such  pain  and  longing  in  her  voice  that  invol 
untarily  her  companion  drew  a  step  nearer  her. 
"  I  cannot  understand  you,"  she  added. 

"  Neither  can  I  understand  you,"  the  doctor 
had  nearly  returned,  but  he  repressed  the  words. 
Amid  the  unwontedness  of  his  position  there  was 
stealing  a  charm  and  sweetness  more  disquieting 
than  the  rest. 

"  I  was  right  in  one  point,  however.  You  are 
indifferent  to  life.  That,  I  suppose,  is  natural  to 
a  man  of  your  temperament  whom  the  pleasures  of 
this  life  do  not  tempt  and  who  has  no  friend  dear 
enough  to  compel  him  to  try  to  live." 

The  girl  spoke  firmly,  and  Dr.  Latimer  had  a 


236  DR.  LATINER. 

strange  sensation  of  being  a  culprit.  It  was  long 
since  his  thoughts  had  been  turned  in  upon  him 
self  for  so  long  a  period,  and  he  felt  the  awkward 
ness  consequent  to  any  man  upon  being  brought 
face  to  face  with  and  compelled  to  recognize  the 
acquaintance  who  in  all  the  world  occupies  him 
least. 

"  I  am  very  well,"  he  answered  meekly,  feeling 
called  upon,  somehow,  to  defend  himself.  "  I  have 
not  saved  myself,  perhaps,  but  what  reason  was 
there  why  I  should  ?  I  could  not  be  better  spent 
than  in  such  service  as  I  have  found  to  do." 

"  But  I  can't  —  we  could  n't  spare  you,  the  girls 
and  I,"  responded  Josephine  unsteadily.  "  You 
have  been  so  good  to  us  that  we  can't  help  —  oh,  I 
know  that  because  you  have  been  kind  to  us  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  even  attempt  to  hold  you 
back  from  what  you  think  right,  but  Miss  Norman 
herself  says  you  are  reckless,  and  if  you  only  cared 
half  as  much  for  —  us  as  we  do  for  you,  you  would 
promise  not  to  take  such  great  risks,  when  you  are 
not  strong.  Everybody  says  you  are  not  strong." 

Dr.  Latimer  had  sustained  varied  species  of  as 
saults  from  the  other  sex  during  his  lonely  life,  but 
the  tacit  flattery  of  this  girl  whom  he  had  always 
known  so  dignified  and  self-controlled  gave  him 
sensations  of  an  entirely  novel  character  and 
wakened  long-latent  emotions. 

There  was  silence  when  the  vibrating  voice 
ceased,  such  silence  as  falls  on  Mount  Pisgah 
when  the  sea  is  sleeping.  Away  to  the  south, 


MOUNT  PISGAH.  237 

Half- Way  Light  paled  and  flushed  from  white  to 
red.  The  rosy  beacon  had  faded  and  flamed  white 
again  before  the  doctor  spoke :  — 

"  I  shall  remember  what  you  have  said,"  he  an 
swered. 

"  And  forgive  me  for  it,  too  ?  "  she  asked,  her 
heart  beating  with  the  fear  of  vexing;  him. 

O  O 

He  waited  again  before  speaking. 

"  It  is  a  great  many  years  since  anybody  has 
talked  to  me  as  you  have,"  he  answered  simply, 
"  and  I  find  it  makes  life  seem  fairer  to  know  that 
I  have  such  a  friend  in  you." 

After  this  Josephine  did  not  know  how  she  de 
scended  the  dim,  rugged  hillside,  except  that  her 
hand  was  in  his  because  the  way  was  steep  and 
sometimes  rough. 

They  passed  the  bird's  nest  and  moved  side  by 
side  through  the  field  where  the  air  was  sweet  with 
hay  that  Captain  Liph  would  rake  to-morrow. 
The  slender  moon  was  sailing  westward,  while, 
level  with  Seguin  light,  and  looking  like  its  twin 
in  all  but  color,  shone  Jupiter. 

The  doctor  and  his  companion  paused  a  minute 
after  reaching  the  cottages  to  wonder  at  the  track 
of  light  which  the  planet  as  it  rose  sent  shimmer 
ing  across  the  ocean. 

But  soon  Josephine  said  she  must  go  in,  and  the 
doctor  did  not  dissuade  her. 

"  Good-night,"  he  returned,  in  the  voice  she 
thought  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world.  "  I  will 
walk  a  little  while.  I  do  not  quite  recognize  my- 


238  DR.  LATIMER. 

self  this  evening.  It  is  a  strange  experience  to  a 
man  when  the  life  he  has  led  for  twenty  years  re 
ceives  an  interruption." 

His  tone  made  her  heart  beat. 

"  I  suppose  you  do  not  understand  me,"  he  con 
tinued  quietly. 

"  I  hope  I  do,"  she  answered  so  low  that  he 
scarcely  caught  the  words,  then  she  disappeared 
within  the  house. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

KOSE   LANE. 

UP  in  the  airy  chamber  of  the  Sea  Shell  Helen 
and  Yernon  were  tossing  and  turning  well-sunned 
mattresses  and  making  beds  the  next  morning, 
while  Josephine  assisted  Persis.  The  eldest  of  the 
sisters  found  a  great  charm  in  the  little  kitchen, 
where  the  housekeeper  was  so  easily  drawn  on  to 
scold  or  praise  her  master  and  tell  anecdotes  of  his 
boyhood. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  Jo  this  morning?" 
asked  Vernon,  as  she  and  Helen  drew  a  sheet  over 
one  of  the  beds.  "She  is  so  queer,  and  absent- 
minded,  and  handsome." 

"  I  noticed  it,  too,"  answered  Helen,  "and  did  n't 
you  think  Dr.  Latimer  behaved  strangely,  too? 
He  kept  looking  at  nothing  in  the  oddest  way,  and 
everything  I  said  to  him  at  breakfast  I  had  to  re 
peat  before  he  heard  me." 

"  They  have  been  getting  up  some  joke,"  said 
Vernon  discontentedly,  "  or  else  they  have  a  secret. 
I  hate  secrets  unless  I  am  in  them." 

"  Perhaps  Dr.  Latimer  has  sent  for  Mr.  Bruch," 
suggested  Helen,  folding  the  sheet  over  the  coun 
terpane  with  attentive  precision. 


240  DR.  LATIMER. 

"Pooh!  As  though  that  would  make  Jose 
phine's  eyes  full  of  *  fire  and  dew '  and  make  her 
kiss  me.  She  did  this  morning  before  we  went 
downstairs." 

"  Well,  if  you  don't  like  it  you  can  console  your 
self  with  the  fact  that  you  don't  have  to  bear  it 
very  often." 

"  When  I  am  kissed  I  like  to  know  what  for," 
responded  Vernon,  slapping  a  pillow  vigorously, 
"  yes,  and  who  for,"  she  added  with  a  last  thump. 
"  Josephine  might  have  been  thinking  of  the  man 
in  the  moon.  She  was  n't  thinking  of  me,  that  is 
certain,  and  there  are  some  people  on  whose  ac 
count  I  don't  care  to  be  kissed." 

"What  are  you  talking  about,  Vernon?" 

"  Ask  Dr.  Latimer.  He  seems  to  be  in  Jo's 
confidence." 

"  If  Dr.  Latimer  wishes  to  surprise  us  with  Mr. 
Bruch's  arrival,  I  don't  want  to  spoil  his  kind 
plan,"  said  Helen  confidentially,  "  but  I  happened 
to  see  a  letter  addressed  to  him  not  long  ago  lying 
on  the  doctor's  desk.  I  could  n't  help  thinking  it 
might  be  an  invitation." 

"  Oh,  that  is  just  your  soft-hearted  foolishness, 
Helen.  You  want  him  to  have  the  change,  and 
so  you  have  planned  it,  but  you  know  the  doctor 
has  n't  a  place  to  put  him." 

"  There  will  be  room  in  the  Nautilus  after  Mr. 
Randolph  goes,"  suggested  Helen,  looking  at  her 
sister  thoughtfully. 

"  When  is  Mr.  Randolph  going?  " 


ROSE  LANE.  241 

"  I  don't  know ;  but  I  don't  see  how  he  can  stay 
so  very  much  longer,  —  a  young  business  man  like 
him,  you  know." 

"  I  suppose  you  would  like  to  shorten  his  vaca 
tion  so  Mr.  Bruch  could  have  a  longer  one,"  re 
marked  the  youngest  resentfully. 

Helen  laughed.  "  I  did  n't  notice  which  side  of 
the  bed  you  got  out  on  this  morning,  Vernon,  but 
whichever  it  was,  please  try  the  other  to-morrow. 
We  want  some  roses  for  the  bowls  downstairs. 
Here,  put  on  your  hat  and  go  after  them.  You 
need  to  let  some  sunshine  strike  in." 

Vernon  obeyed  the  gentle  push,  and  putting  on 
the  soft,  red  felt  hat  which  either  she  or  Dickie 
wore  as  it  happened  to  be  in  one  house  or  the 
other,  went  downstairs  for  the  basket  and  scissors. 

Captain  Liph  was  leaning  in  the  doorway,  and 
Persis,  her  hands  on  her  hips,  was  interviewing 
him. 

"  I  cal'late  t'  kill  to-day,"  remarked  the  old 
man's  mellifluous  tones,  as  he  nodded  kindly  to 
Vernon. 

"  Well,  I  want  a  hind-quarter,"  replied  Persis 
decidedly. 

Captain  Liph  looked  perplexed.  "  Seems  if 
everybody  had  to  have  the  hind-quarter,"  he  re 
marked.  "  Ther  's  ben  six  hind-quarters  ordered 
off  'n  that  sheep  this  mornin'." 

"  Well,  now,  Cap'ii  Liph,  you  know  I  spoke 
long  ago,"  returned  the  housekeeper,  too  anxious 
to  be  affected  by  anything  ludicrous  in  the  di- 


242  DR.  LATIMEE. 

lemma.     "  Says  I  to  you,  when  you  kill  the  next 
time  "  — 

Veriioii  slipped  by  them  out  of  doors  and  passed 
Dr.  Latimer  and  Agnes  Norman,  who  were  laying 
their  heads  together  over  a  list  of  errands  for  Port 
land,  where  the  doctor  was  to  betake  himself  that 
morning. 

They  nodded  to  her  pleasantly.  "  Goin'  perch- 
in'  ?  "  asked  Agnes  in  native  fisher  language. 

"No,  going  rosing,"  answered  Vernon  as  she 
passed. 

"  And  there  won't  be  a  bud  in  the  lane  with  a 
fresher  and  a  sweeter  face  than  yours,"  remarked 
Miss  Norman,  looking  after  the  light  figure. 

Dr.  Latimer  also  followed  the  girl  with  his 
glance. 

"  Youth  loves  youth,"  he  said  in  his  thoughtful 
way,  "  but  it  requires  maturity  to  appreciate  the 
beauty,  the  intrinsic  charm  of  youth.  While  we 
are  young  we  take  it  all  for  granted." 

Miss  Norman  gave  an  odd  little  smile.  "  If 
youth  always  did  love  youth,"  she  returned,  "it 
would  save  complications  sometimes." 

The  intense  blue  of  the  doctor's  eyes  looked 
quickly  into  hers.  There  was  an  expression  in  his 
face  that  was  new  to  her. 

"Don't  you  think  that  in  exceptional  cases 
youth  is  the  victim  of  a  species  of  infatuation  and 
should  be  saved  from  itself  ?  "  he  asked  seriously. 

Miss  Norman  was  startled.  She  began  to  be 
lieve  that  her  secret  suspicions  were  shared.  A 


EOSE  LANE.  243 

number  of  arguments  and  considerations  flashed 
through  her  mind  in  the  instant  of  her  hesitation  ; 
then  she  spoke  with  a  smile  and  a  shake  of  the 
head. 

"  I  believe  no  rules  can  be  laid  down  that  any 
thing  so  erratic  as  the  human  heart  will  follow." 

"  No,  but  experience  should  protect  inexperi 
ence." 

"  And  in  doing  so,"  returned  Miss  Norman, 
"  experience  should  take  care  not  to  be  morbid." 

"  There  is  far  more  danger  of  its  being  selfish, 
isn't  there?" 

"  That  depends  on  whose  experience  is  in  ques 
tion.  We  were  speaking,  were  we  not,  of  the  rare 
case  where  a  girl  loves  a  man  many  years  her 
senior  ?  " 

"  Thinks  she  does,"  corrected  the  other.  "  Where 
her  feeling  is  but  an  enthusiasm  and  hero  worship, 
which  has  come  into  being  through  her  own  false 
conceptions  of  the  man." 

"  I  see  what  you  mean.  The  girl  is  loving  an 
ideal.  Well,  that  is  what  most  girls  do,  and,  pro 
vided  she  is  a  girl  of  character  and  the  object  of 
her  affection  is  a  good  man,  who  returns  her  love, 
I  should  say  it  was  a  foolish  rejection  of  blessing 
for  him  to  let  the  matter  of  years  stand  between 
them." 

The  strange,  luminous  expression  in  her  com 
panion's  eyes  grew  still  deeper. 

"  You  are  influencing  me  to  see  it  as  you  do. 
I "  —  he  stopped,  as  though  restraining  himself. 


244  DR.  LATIMEE. 

She  changed  color.  "  If  you  have  something  to 
decide  for  yourself,  God  would  be  very  good  to  me, 
Paul,  if  I  might  do  anything,  however  slight,  to 
help  atone  for  the  past." 

44  Agnes,"  he  said,  and  his  voice  held  reproach 
and  warning,  "  I  thought  you  had  thrown  off  for 
ever  those  morbid  feelings.  I  am  sure  you  have 
been  convinced  many  times  of  your  own  innocence ; 
indeed,  your  utter  helplessness.  Why  do  you  re 
turn  to  the  old  thought  ?  " 

"  One  thing  can  exorcise  it,  and  that  is  your 
happiness."  Miss  Norman's  voice  was  unsteady. 
44  Give  me  a  sight  of  that,  and  I  shall  be  at  rest 
and  grateful,  —  oh,  how  grateful !  " 

They  were  both  shaken,  these  two  self-possessed, 
middle-aged  friends,  so  deeply  that  each  turned 
instinctively  for  relief  to  the  prosaic  care  of  the 
moment.  Miss  Norman  looked  through  swimming 
eyes  at  the  list  whereon  coffee,  tea,  canned  toma 
toes,  etc.,  were  blurred  the  more  by  the  trembling 
of  the  hand  with  which  Dr.  Latimer  held  the  paper, 
and  they  fell  to  talking  of  some  fruit  she  wished 
him  to  buy. 

Vernon  walked  to  the  end  of  Maiden  Lane  ancl 
across  the  grass  to  Captain  Amos'  house.  Mr. 
Randolph,  who  had  been  calling  there  to  return 
some  fishing  tackle,  came  out  of  the  door  as  she 
passed. 

44  Where  are  you  going,  my  pretty  maid  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  Oh,  good-morning." 


ROSE  LANE.  245 

"  That  is  n't  any  answer.  May  I  go  with  you, 
my  pretty  maid?" 

"  Are  you  under  the  impression  that  you  are 
quoting?  That  isn't  the  way  it  goes  at  all." 

"  It  is  all  one  to  me  so  long  as  I  go,"  returned 
Olin  cheerfully. 

They  passed  Aunt  Martha's  bright  little  flower 
garden,  where  blue,  pink,  and  purple  bachelor-but 
tons,  and  gay,  rose-colored  mallows  peeped  through 
the  wide  meshes  of  the  fishnet  which  surrounded 
them.  A  sunken  tub  filled  with  water  furnished  a 
paradise  for  some  soft  little  ducklings,  all  bill, 
feet,  and  ambition,  who  plunged  and  scrambled 
and  whisked  their  rudimentary  tails,  as  Vernon 
and  Olin  passed. 

The  morning  breeze  rustled  the  leaves  of  two 
ragged  Balm-of-Gilead  trees  that  showed  by  their 
sparse  foliage  the  hard  battle  for  life  which  the 
winter  had  given  them. 

"  What  is  it  to-day,  — fir  balsam  ?  "  asked  Olin. 

"  No,  roses.  Don't  let  me  take  you  from  your 
important  pursuits.  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid 
of  cows." 

Yernon  tossed  her  head  slightly  and  her  com 
panion's  eyes  twinkled. 

"  Sarcasm  on  a  morning  like  this,  and  just  as 
you  are  entering  Rose  Lane  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  I  only  wanted  to  preserve  you  from 
misplaced  exertion.  I  can't  even  pretend  to  be 
afraid  of  anything,"  said  Yernon,  pausing  where  a 
tangled  thicket  of  roses  and  raspberry  bushes  ran 


246  DR.  LATIMEE. 

riot,  and  beginning  to  snip  the  tough  stems  in  a 
business-like  manner.  Mr.  Randolph,  his  thumbs 
caught  in  the  edge  of  his  trousers  pockets,  watched 
her. 

"  Don't  you  want  to  let  me  do  that  ?  "  he  asked 

"  Thank  you,  no." 

"You  aren't  getting  the  best  blossoms,"  he 
added,  after  a  long  pause. 

"  Is  that  your  idea  of  division  of  labor  ?  I  to  do 
the  work  and  you  to  criticise  ?  " 

"  I  asked  you  to  let  me  reverse  it.  Don't  you 
see  those  big  beauties  there  near  the  wall  ?  " 

Vernon  measured  the  distance  with  a  furtive 
glance.  The  undergrowth  into  which  she  must 
step  to  reach  the  deep-glowing  roses  held  myste 
rious  possibilities  which  made  her  cringe. 

"  Oh,  these  will  do  well  enough,"  she  replied 
carelessly,  going  on  with  her  cutting. 

Olin  smiled  from  his  vantage-ground  behind  her. 

"  How  you  do  put  me  in  mind  of  ^Esop,"  he  re 
marked.  "  Don't  you  remember  the  picture  where 
the  fox  is  leering  so  sentimentally  at  the  grapes  ?  " 

"  You  seem  to  be  full  of  nursery  reminiscences 
this  morning."  Yernon's  cheeks  matched  her 
flowers.  "  If  you  think  those  roses  are  sour  grapes 
to  me,  I  shall  have  to  show  you  how  easily  you 
may  be  mistaken,"  and  repressing  a  shudder  the 
speaker  stepped  firmly  down  into  the  thicket. 
She  had  taken  a  few  steps  and  reached  a  blossom 
whose  spicy,  half-folded  petals  had  been  coveted 
ever  since  the  moment  she  entered  the  lane,  when 


ROSE  LANE.  247 

something  —  a  tough  bramble  or  a  live  horror  — • 
moved  about  her  ankle. 

With  a  shriek  and  one  sudden  leap  she  vaulted 
back  into  the  path,  her  basket  flying  one  way,  her 
scissors  another.  She  gazed  at  Olin,  both  hands 
011  her  heart  and  her  face  showing  pale  beneath  the 
sun-tint. 

"  There  was  one  ! "  she  exclaimed  in  hollow 
tones. 

"  Well,  you  Ve  given  me  nervous  prostration 
for  life,"  said  Olin.  "  What  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  There  was  one,  I  tell  you  !  " 

"  I  know  there  was,  —  one  basket,  one  pair  of 
scissors,  one  girl,  and  one  rose.  The  rose  seems 
the  only  one  of  the  group  not  knocked  out." 

"  It  wound  around  my  ankle !  Oh  !  Supposing 
it  should  be  there  now !  "  Yernon  spoke  with 
tragical  haste,  her  eyes  dilating. 

"What?" 

"Thesn-      Oh!" 

"  Why  don't  you  look  ?  " 

"  Look !  "  She  gazed  at  him  with  excited  re 
proach.  "  Why,  it  might  be  there.  How  could  I 
look?" 

"  Let  me,  then."  Olin  stooped  on  one  knee  and 
regarded  the  low  tennis  shoes  and  black-stockinged 
ankles  the  short  skirt  revealed. 

"Well?"  faintly. 

"  Not  a  thing  there.  Did  you  think  you  felt  a 
snake  ?  " 

"  I  know  I  did.  How  could  you  ask  me  to  go 
into  such  a  place !  " 


248  DR.  LAT1MEE. 

"I  didn't  ask  you." 

"  You  did  worse  ;  you  dared  me." 

"  I  did  n't  mean  to  ;  but  knowing  by  your  own 
assertion  that  you  were  not  afraid  of  any  tiling  "  — • 

"  I  should  be  ashamed  not  to  be  afraid  of  such 
a  revolting  creature  as  a  snake,"  returned  Vernon 
with  heat. 

Olin  looked  quizzically  at  her  and  shook  his  head. 
"  Little  girls  who  fling  sarcasms  at  their  big  sisters 
get  punished,  you  see.  I  could  write  a  moral  tale 
with  you  for  a  text." 

"  Well,  before  I  would  be  afraid  of  cows ! " 

"  I  am  glad  Miss  Josephine  is.  It  makes  a  poor 
mortal  feel  more  comfortable  with  her  to  find  she 
has  a  weakness." 

"  I  love  to  discover  a  weakness  in  Josephine, 
too,"  replied  Vernon,  with  a  sudden  fellow-feeling 
for  her  companion.  "  Do  you,"  with  elaborate 
nonchalance,  "  do  you  see  the  scissors  anywhere, 
Mr.  Randolph?" 

He  was  sitting  on  the  grass,  and  here  cast  a 
cursory  glance  about  him.  "  No,"  he  answered. 

The  basket  had  lodged  upside  down  between 
two  rose-bushes  just  out  of  reach  unless  one  stepped 
down  again  into  the  undergrowth. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  brought  that  pair,"  continued 
Vernon  in  indifferent  tone  but  with  wistful  eyes 
that  looked  searchingly  here  and  there.  "  Persis 
won't  like  to  lose  them." 

"  I  am  placed  in  a  very  uncomfortable  position,'1 
declared  Olin  seriously. 


EOSE  LANE.  249 

"  You  don't  look  it,"  she  retorted. 

"  Of  course  I  am  very  desirous  of  hunting  for 
your  scissors,  but  you  despise  anybody  who  is  not 
afraid  of  snakes,  so  I  am  hampered,  tied  hand  and 
foot,  as  it  were,  by  my  desire  to  retain  your  good 
opinion." 

"  You  need  n't  worry  about  that,"  returned  Ver- 
non,  reddening.  "  It 's  too  late.  I  don't  like  you 
at  all."  She  gazed  down  at  her  viking  with  bright, 
vexed  eyes. 

"  Then  I  've  nothing  to  lose  by  diving  into  that 
tangle,"  he  returned,  regarding  the  pretty  face  ad 
miringly. 

"  Nothing." 

"  Have  I  anything  to  gain?  " 

"  The  scissors,  I  hope,"  returned  Vernon  curtly, 
notwithstanding  the  rather  sentimental  significance 
of  his  tone. 

"  Nothing  else  ?  Not  your  forgiveness  for  hav 
ing  offered  to  cut  your  roses  for  you  ?  " 

"  Don't  bargain,"  replied  the  girl  loftily. 

"  Say,"  he  returned,  continuing  to  regard  her 
musingly,  "  I  wish  while  you  are  down  here  you 
would  wear  a  hat  with  a  brim  or  a  veil  or  some 
thing  to  protect  your  complexion  a  little.  Your 
nose  is  getting  "  — 

"  What  is  my  nose  to  you  ?  "  exclaimed  Vernon, 
exasperated. 

"  A  joy  forever  in  its  pristine  condition ;  but  a 
girl's  nose  does  n't  want  to  be  treated  like  a  meer 
schaum  pipe  "  — 


250  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  Let  me  remind  you  that  my  complexion  is  my 
own,  sir." 

"  But  you  injure  my  aesthetic  sense." 

"  Take  it  back  to  Boston,  then.  That  is  where 
aesthetic  senses  belong." 

"  You  appear  irritated." 

«  Why,  not  at  all.  Don't  you  think  the  sun  is 
growing  rather  warm  ?  I  believe  I  had  better  be 
going  back." 

"  Oh,  very  well."  Olin  rose  to  his  feet.  "  You 
think  that  you  won't  wait  for  another  harvest  of 
roses."  He  walked  to  the  side  of  the  lane  and 
reached  over  for  the  basket.  Vernon  watched  him 
with  interest. 

"  How  can  I  get  them  without  any  scissors  ?  " 
she  asked.  "  They  are  so  thorny." 

"  The  lane  is  fuller  of  thorns  than  usual  this 
morning.  I  have  noticed  it." 

"  Roses  would  be  badly  off  without  them,"  re 
turned  Vernon,  with  hot  cheeks. 

The  young  man  regarded  her,  slightly  smiling 
She  bit  her  lip.  No  one  had  ever  before  had 
power  to  ruffle  her  so  easily,  and  she  felt  resentful 
and  humiliated. 

"  No  rose  without  its  thorn,"  he  remarked,  mus 
ingly. 

"  How  entertainingly  original,"  she  mocked. 

"  Look  here,  why  are  you  vexed  with  me  ? " 
asked  Olin  curiously,  advancing  to  her,  basket  in 
hand. 

Vernon  met  his  gaze  with  an  innocent,  wonder- 


ROSE  LANE.  251 

ing  glance.  Supposing  she  should  tell  him  the 
truth.  How  would  it  sound  to  say  that  she  was 
vexed  with  him  because  Josephine  had  kissed  her 
that  morning.  The  thought  made  her  laugh,  and 
two  little  tears  dimmed  the  lustre  of  her  lovely 
eyes. 

"  How  absurd  ! "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  that  you  agree  with  me. 
Promise  that  you  won't  rend  me  any  more,  and 
then  sit  down  over  there  on  that  mossy  stone 
while  I  find  the  scissors." 

Vernon  shuddered  and  watched  him  apprehen 
sively  as  he  tramped  into  the  thicket  of  wild 
growth,  and  dove  about  among  the  brambles.  By 
good  fortune  it  was  not  long  before  he  emerged 
with  the  prize. 

"  Thank  you,  so  much,"  said  the  girl  gratefully. 
"It  is  Per  sis'  pet  pair,  and  I  suspect  she  will 
scold  me  anyway  for  taking  them.  Now,  I  sup 
pose  I  ought  to  cut  some  more  roses." 

"No,  don't  just  now.  Let  us  go  over  to  the 
water  and  get  cool,  then  we  can  come  back  this 
way,  if  you  like." 

Yernon  agreed  silently,  and  went  with  him  to 
the  sea,  where  they  sat  on  the  rocks.  The  water 
below  was  so  instinct  with  movement,  color,  and 
sound  that  it  seemed  a  live  thing. 

Olin  half  reclined,  leaning  on  his  elbow  in  an  at 
titude  facing  his  companion,  and  the  bright  wind 
sped  ceaseless  past  them. 

"  Here  we  can  rest  from  our  labors  and  you  can 


252  DR.   LA  TIMER. 

meditate  on  your  —  thorns,"  lie  suggested,  com* 
fortably. 

"  You  like  to  tease,  don't  you  ?  "  observed  Ver- 
non,  who  felt  in  a  state  of  serene  contentment 
with  the  moment  which  not  even  the  thought  of 
Josephine  could  mar. 

"  How  like  a  flight  of  birds  those  fishing-boats 
look  yonder,"  said  Olin  lazily. 

"  '  If  e'er  you  sail  on  Casco  Bay 

When  fields  are  green  and  skies  are  sweet, 
And  watch  the  foam-capped  waves  at  play, 

Where  land  and  sea  touch  hands,  and  greet 
As  friend  with  friend  in  rude  delight, 

Your  soul,  like  birds  at  break  of  day, 
Will  rise  for  many  a  joyous  flight 

'Midst  summer  isles  of  Casco  Bay. 

Of  Casco  Bay  !  sweet  Casco  Bay ! 

Where  life  is  joy  and  love  at  play 

'Midst  summer  isles  of  Casco  Bay.'  " 

"  We  should  be  in  a  boat  while  you  repeat 
that,"  said  Vernon.  "  I  think  it  is  very  shabby 
of  you  that  you  have  never  asked  me  into  your 
boat." 

"  I  've  been  invited  not  to." 

"  By  whom  ?  " 

"  Aunt  Agnes.  She  has  requested  me  never  to 
take  Miss  Ivison,  either  Number  One,  Number 
Two,  or  Number  Three,  sailing,  especially  Number 
Three." 

"  Why  not  me,  especially?  " 

"Because  you  are  the  youngest,  the  —  pet,  of 
course." 


EOSE  LANE.  253 

"  Oh,  do  you  think  I  am  ? "  asked  Vernon, 
naively.  "  Don't  you  think  Josephine  is  more  of 
a  pet  than  I  am  ?  " 

"  Miss  Josephine  a  '  pet ! '       Shades  of  Diana  !  " 
"  "Well,   a    favorite    I    mean.       Anyway,    why 
did  n't  Miss  Agnes  want  you  to  take  us  ?  " 
"  Afraid  I  'd  drown  you." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  indignantly.  "  As  though  a  vik — 
as  though  you  could  n't  sail  a  boat !  " 

"  That  is  what  I  implied  as  strongly  as  my  nat 
ural  modesty  would  permit,  but  both  my  aunts 
insisted  that  the  privilege  of  drowning  you  be 
longed  entirely  to  Dr.  Latimer.  All  the  plums 
seem  to  come  under  the  doctor's  piece  this  sum 
mer.  Yes,  boating  and  drowning  are  synonyms 
at  the  Nautilus.  The  miracle  of  seeing  me  return 
alive  from  such  expeditions  all  my  life  has  lost 
none  of  its  marvel  for  my  aunts,  although  of 
nearly  daily  occurrence  every  summer.  They  have 
taken  their  lives  in  their  hands  and  sailed  with 
Captain  Amos  at  times  when  necessity  compelled, 
but  I've  no  doubt  that  when  the  Harpswell 
Steamship  Company  arranged  to  have  its  boats 
touch  here  my  aunts  put  up  pious  thanks  and 
praise,  and  accepted  a  new  lease  of  life." 

"  You  have  n't  sailed  very  much  this  summer  ?  " 
"  No  ;   Aunt  Agnes  says  I  am  too  lazy." 
"  I  don't  believe  you  are." 
"Why  not?" 
"  Because  I  don't  wish  to." 
"What?     All  the  thorns  nicely  folded  under 
the  leaves?" 


254  DE.  LATIMEE. 

"  Don't  look  at  me,  please." 

"Why  not?" 

"  You  have  made  me  conscious  by  your  uncivil 
comments.  Look  back  at  the  ships,  and  the  gulls, 
und  repeat  some  more  poetry." 

Olin  supported  his  head  on  his  hand. 

"  '  Down  smiling  channels  shadows  run 

And  shimmer  on  the  green-blue  tides ; 
And,  booming  like  a  far-off  gun, 

Where  Harpswell  sea  from  sea  divides. 
You  hear  the  breakers'  sullen  roar 

And  watch  the  waves  ascend  in  spray, 
While  all  around,  behind,  before, 

The  white  sails  swell  on  Casco  Bay ; 

On  Casco  Bay !    fair  Casco  Bay  ! 

The  white  sails  fill,  and  bear  away 

The  happy  ships  on  Casco  Bay.'  " 

"That  is  it,"  said  Yernon  fervently.  "'The 
happy  ships  on  Casco  Bay.'  They  look  blessed. 
Why  could  n't  I  have  written  that  poem  ?  I  have 
felt  it  all  and  more." 

Olin  smiled.  "  That  is  what  poets  are  for,  —  to 
give  tongue  to  that  which  is  struggling  for  expres 
sion  in  the  breasts  of  the  myriads  of  us  who  are 
dumb." 

"  It  was  a  libel  on  you  to  say  you  did  not  like 
the  island,"  said  Vernon  indignantly. 

"  I  have  never  enjoyed  it  so  much  as  this  sum 
mer." 

"  Indeed  ?  " 

"  No,  and  the  papers  say  it  is  very  warm  in 
town.  I  wonder  how  Bruch  is  getting  on." 

"Helen   was   talking  about  him  this  morning. 


ROSE  LANE.  255 

You  know  how  soft-hearted  she  is.  She  feels 
sorry  for  him,  he  is  so  alone." 

"  So  do  I.  Somehow,  I  hate  to  think  of  old 
Bruch  fighting  mosquitoes  in  a  lodging-house  and 
looking  at  his  German  watch  evenings.  I  spoke 
to  Dr.  Latimer  about  it  and  found  that  part  of  my 
suspicion  was  unfounded.  It  seems  that  the  doc 
tor  was  so  thoughtful  as  to  give  him  a  room  in 
that  big,  cool  house  of  his,  where  he  has  good  food 
arid  service." 

"  What  a  darling  Dr.  Latimer  is  !  " 

"  Oh  —  a  —  yes  ;  but  still  Bruch  is  alone  and  has 
lots  of  time  on  his  hands  to  think  about  the  little 
ones,  and  of  course,  as  the  doctor  said,  the  Sea  Shell 
is  full,  and  so  I  asked  my  aunts  if  they  would  take 
him  in  my  place.  You  see  the  chambered  Nauti 
lus  in  this  case  has  n't  chambers  enough." 

"  Oh,  did  you?"  Vernon's  tone  indicated  a 
diminution  of  interest  in  Mr.  Bruch' s  situation. 
"  Could  n't  we  find  room  in  some  one  of  the  cot 
tages  where  they  would  let  him  stay  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  we  at  last  succeeded  in  do 
ing.  The  Cliffords  are  going  to  give  him  a  bed, 
and  my  aunts  are  kind  enough  to  let  him  come  to 
our  table  as  a  favor  to  me.  We  thought  as  there 
was  no  great  variety  down  here  we  would  let  Mr. 
Bruch  surprise  his  Boston  friends.  I  have  told 
you  because  I  must  go  to  the  boat  soon  to  meet 
him,  and  I  thought  you  might  like  to  come,  too, 
and  give  him  a  welcome." 

Upon  consulting  his  watch  Olin  found  that  they 


256  DR.   LATUfEE. 

had  not  time  to  stop  for  tlie  roses,  but  Vernon  ac 
companied  him  to  the  dock  with  alacrity  ;  and  when 
the  Chebeague  came  steaming  around  from  Harps- 
well,  among  the  passengers  under  its  awning  ap 
peared  the  spectacled  and  bearded  countenance  of 
the  professor. 

Dr.  Latimer  was  on  the  pier,  about  to  take  the 
same  steamer  back  to  Portland,  and  Mr.  Bruch's 
face  fairly  beamed  as  he  nodded  ecstatically  to 
ward  the  three  familiar  faces. 

The  exchange  from  the  damp,  muggy  heat  at 
present  afflicting  Boston,  to  this  crystal  clear,  cool 
air  was  a  delight  which  the  sight  of  the  kindly 
friends  augmented. 

The  professor,  owing  to  his  polite  consideration, 
was  one  of  the  last  passengers  to  climb  the  steep 
gang-plank.  Dr.  Latimer  had  time  only  for  a  word 
and  a  cordial  hand-pressure  before  going  on  board 
the  boat,  but  Olin  and  Vernon  were  the  willing  re 
cipients  of  the  newcomer's  happy  garrulity. 

Olin  put  his  valise  into  Captain  Amos'  wagon 
and  then  the  three  moved  slowly  up  the  hill. 

"  The  papers  say  Boston  has  had  a  hot  wave," 
remarked  Randolph. 

"  Wave  is  a  good  word,  yes,"  returned  the  pro 
fessor  earnestly.  "  It  has  been  a  fearful  weather, 
like  in  a  laundry.  There  were  —  oh,  yes  —  a 
great  many  mosquitoes,  too.  If  I  ventured  from 
the  house  they  pinched  me.  This  is  a  new  world,  a 
new  world  my  dear  sir.  I  am  so  grateful  to  you 
as  I  can  be.  You  are  happy  here,  Miss  Vernon, 
yes  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE    WOOD   KOAD. 

THE  child-like  exultation  of  the  professor  at 
finding  himself  once  more  among  the  best  friends 
he  possessed  this  side  that  broad  sea  which  now 
stretched  before  his  eyes,  made  itself  pleasantly 
felt  all  through  the  cliff  community.  Had  Miss 
Charlotte  chosen  to  exhibit  her  most  majestic  mood 
Mr.  Brucli  would  have  accepted  the  dispensation 
meekly ;  but  on  this  occasion  the  elder  Miss  Nor 
man  elected  to  be  ungrudgingly  gracious  and  hos 
pitable,  and  after  the  supper,  to  which  the  profes 
sor  did  ample  and  admiring  justice,  she  declared 
her  conviction  to  Agnes  that  he  was  a  good  crea 
ture  and  she  did  not  wonder  at  all  that  Olin  wished 
to  give  him  this  pleasure. 

Mr.  Bruch  rambled  up  and  down  the  grass  after 
tea  talking  with  Josephine,  Helen,  and  the  doctor, 
who  had  made  short  work  of  the  Portland  errands 
and  returned.  The  strong  wind,  which  all  day 
long  had  swept  the  little  island  as  though  blowing 
across  the  deck  of  a  ship,  was  sinking  with  the 
sinking  sun.  Kest,  quiet,  peace,  breathed  from 
every  rock  and  tree. 

"  I  seem  to  feel  nearer  the  little  ones  here,"  said 


258  DR.  LATIMER. 

the  German  to  Helen,  as  they  stood  together  near 
the  cliff  railing. 

"  They  are  only  the  other  side  of  that  purple 
water,"  she  answered  cheerfully.  "  By  another 
summer  you  mast  have  them  with  you." 

"  Sooner  than  that,  I  hope,"  he  answered.  "  I 
cannot  wait  so  long,  Miss  Helen.  Either  I  go 
there  or  they  come  to  me  before  a  year." 

"  Let  us  all  go  to  Mount  Pisgah,"  called  Vernon, 
hastening  out  of  the  Sea  Shell,  where  she  had 
been  wiping  the  dishes  for  Persis.  "  We  are  a  little 
late,  but  Mr.  Bruch  can  see  the  last  of  the  sunset." 

So  they  set  out,  a  straggling  procession,  through 
the  mowed  field  and  up  the  hilly  road.  Both  the 
Miss  Normans  and  Dickie,  Olin,  the  three  girls,  Mr. 
Bruch  and  Dr.  Latimer.  After  they  reached  the 
first  height  and  as  they  descended  toward  the  base 
of  Mount  Pisgah,  Dr.  Latimer  found  himself  beside 
Josephine. 

"  Shall  we  let  the  others  go  up  the  hill  and  we 
take  the  wood  road  to-night  ?  "  he  asked.  They 
were  the  first  words  he  had  addressed  directly  to 
her  since  the  evening  before. 

She  did  not  turn  to  look  at  him,  but  she  an 
swered,  "Yes." 

So,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  as  the  others  left  the 
road  and  passed  unconsciously  by  the  bird's  nest 
beneath  the  fern,  these  two  kept  on  and  became 
lost  to  view  among  the  trees. 

"  Why,  Dr.  Latimer  and  Josephine  are  n't  com* 
ing  with  us,"  exclaimed  Helen,  looking  back. 


THE  WOOD  ROAD.  259 

"  I  told  you  they  had  a  secret,"  said  Vernon  in 
a  low  tone.  Little  cared  she  how  many  secrets 
they  had,  so  that  Olin  was  leading  the  way  where 
she  might  follow. 

"  Josephine  has  never  been  down  the  wood  road 
at  this  hour,  I  believe,"  returned  Agnes  hastily, 
her  heart  beating  as  though  something  momentous 
to  herself  were  impending;  beating  faster  than 
Josephine's  own,  for  the  latter  felt  110  excitement. 
It  seemed  blessedly  natural  to  her  that  Dr.  Lati- 
mer  should  ask  her  to  go  with  him  and  that  she 
should  go. 

The  fragrant  firs  sent  incense  toward  the  even 
ing  sky  as  they  passed  between  them,  and  the  hush 
was  scarcely  broken  by  the  water  of  the  cove  as  it 
lapped  dreamily  upon  its  rocky  shore,  shining  with 
rosy  gleams  between  the  dark  green  of  the  thick 
clustering  trees. 

Dr.  Latimer  crossed  his  hands  behind  him.  "  I 
have  been  thinking  of  you  all  day,  Josephine,"  he 
began  with  his  usual  deliberate  decision  of  tone. 

The  words  made  the  girl  change  color,  but 
neither  he  nor  she  knew  it,  for  he  was  looking 
gravely  at  the  ground,  and  she  was  too  earnest  to 
be  shy. 

"  You  perplexed  me  last  evening,  and  I  did  not 
dare  to  believe  what  it  would  open  a  new  world  to 
me  to  believe.  You  are  young  and  I  am  very  — 
very  —  old." 

"Dr.  Latimer." 

"  Yes,  so  much  so  that  there  is  a  gulf  fixed  be- 


260  DR.  LATIMEK. 

tween  us.  Josephine,  the  innocence,  truth,  and 
single-heartedness  of  your  nature  does  not  consti 
tute  all  your  charm  to  me.  I  should  be  at  a  loss 
to  tell  what  it  is  that  I  find  in  you  and  in  no  other 
woman.  I  have  kept  away  from  you  much  of  the 
time  since  your  arrival,  as  you  know.  It  was  be 
cause  I  found  that  I  did  not  feel  toward  you  as 
toward  your  sisters,  or  toward  any  one  else  in  the 
world.  I  had  no  intention  of  indulging  this  for 
eign  sentiment.  I  had  myself  well  in  hand  until 
you  yourself  confused  me  last  night." 

"  Thank  heaven  for  that,"  murmured  Josephine, 
looking  at  him,  her  pure  face  aglow  with  inner 
light. 

"  Since  then  I  have  been  bewildered,  doubtful 
—  happy.  I  could  n't  help  being  happy  because 
of  what  I  saw  in  your  eyes  this  morning.  They 
told  me  more  than  you  told  me  last  night,  and 
tempted  me  unspeakably  to  beg  you  —  I  have 
seemed  to  move  in  a  blissful  trance  to-day ;  yet  I 
know  I  may  be  mistaken." 

The  rapturous,  tremulous  half -smile  which  Jose 
phine  bent  upon  the  unresponsive  roadway ! 

"  Whether  I  am  or  not  —  whether  or  no  your 
feeling  for  me  could  grow  into  love  —  I  must  tell 
you  that  I  have  loved  before,  deeply,  intensely,  — - 
or,  rather,  not  I,  but  a  gay,  happy  young  fellow, 
differing  from  me  as  far  as  one  man  can  from  an 
other.  The  loss  of  that  woman  broke  me,  body 
and  heart." 

"  She  is  4ead  ?  "  asked  Josephine  with  pale  lips. 


THE  WOOD  ROAD.  261 

"  She  is  dead,  but  were  she  living  and  if  she 
loved  me  and  I  believed  in  her  as  I  did  in  those 
far-off  days,  I  could  not  love  her  now,  so  utterly 
changed  am  I  from  the  man  I  was  then." 

"  Then  why  should  I  care  ? "  exclaimed  Jose 
phine,  turning  her  dark,  ardent  glance  upon  him. 
"  Why  do  we  speak  of  her?" 

Dr.  Larimer  regarded  the  candid  face  with 
yearning  tenderness,  half  put  out  his  arms  to  her 
and  then  dropped  them. 

"  Josephine,  are  you  not  mistaken  ?  You  are 
only  twenty -four.  I  was  so  young  at  twenty-four ! 
Ought  I  to  let  you  link  your  fresh  life  to  mine  ?  " 
His  longing,  his  scruples,  all  lay  open  to  the  girl's 
loving  intuition. 

He  had  stood  still,  and  she  did  likewise,  looking 
up  into  the  deep  intensity  of  his  eyes  and  holding 
her  hands  tightly  clasped  together. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  first  evening  I  met 
you  ?  "  she  asked.  "  That  night  when  I  had  been 
calling  at  the  Normans'  ?  From  the  moment  I 
entered  our  little  room  where  you  were,  I  have 
known,  vaguely  at  first  and  then  consciously,  that 
I  should  only  live  and  feel  joy  in  living  during  the 
moments  when  I  might  be  near  you.  If  you  feel 
very  old,  let  me  try  to  show  you  to  yourself  as  you 
seem  to  me.  I  feel  young,  ignorant,  selfish  beyond 
measure  by  comparison  with  you,  but  —  oh,  if  you 
love  me !  " 

She  stopped,  joy  and  wonder  too  great  for  speech 
transfiguring  her  unsmiling  face. 


262  DE.  LATIMEE. 

He  took  her  hand  in  both  his,  gently,  solemnly, 
and  looked  at  her  in  silence  for  half  a  minute.  It 
seemed  to  the  girl  as  though  a  light  streamed  from 
his  eyes  into  hers  that  warmed  her  from  head  to 
foot.  At  last  he  spoke :  — 

"  This  man  who  says  now,  '  I  love  you,  Jose 
phine,'  has  never  felt  love  for  another  woman.  I 
will  pray  that  I  may  bless  your  life,  my  darling,  as 
you  have  already  blessed  mine." 

He  drew  her  to  him,  and  as  they  kissed  each 
other  there  in  the  cathedral  of  the  lonely  woods, 
thanksgiving  from  two  fervent  hearts  sped  heaven 
ward  with  the  incense  of  the  pines. 

The  night  was  mild,  and  the  same  company  who 
had  made  the  excursion  to  Mount  Pisgah  were 
seated  around  the  edge  of  the  Sea  Shell  piazza, 
watching  Jupiter's  fairy  track  of  light  across  the 
water,  when  Josephine  and  Dr.  Latimer  returned. 

"  Always  room  for  one  more,"  cried  Vernon 
cheerfully,  as  she  recognized  them. 

Josephine  took  the  vacant  place  next  Miss  Char 
lotte  without  a  word,  and  Dr.  Latimer  remained 
standing  near  her,  both  blissfully  happy  in  that 
sense  of  possession  which  as  yet  no  one  suspected. 
Their  engagement  was  not  to  be  kept  secret,  how 
ever.  They  had  decided  upon  that. 

Through  the  window  of  the  cottage  Dr.  Latimer 
could  see  Persis  sitting  beside  the  lamp-lighted 
table,  reading  the  paper.  A  very  little  of  the 
piazza  by  evening  was  sufficient  for  Miss  Applebee, 


THE  WOOD  HO  AD.  263 

The  water  trembling  in  the  starlight  was  all  very 
well ;  but  it  could  not  offer  attraction  to  compare 
with  the  declarations  of  the  weather  prophet,  and 
the  day-old  news  items  from  Boston. 

The  doctor  went  into  the  house  and  closed  the 
door  behind  him.  Persis,  who  had  the  broad 
"  Journal "  sheet  outspread  in  both  hands,  moved 
it  slightly  to  one  side  in  order  to  see  who  came  in 
and  then  went  back  to  her  reading. 

Dr.  Latimer  seated  himself  in  a  chair  oppo 
site. 

"  Did  you  see  what  a  windstorm  they  Ve  had  in 
Salem  ?  "  she  asked,  half -closing  the  paper  to  look 
at  him.  "  Chimneys  knocked  down,  glass  smashed. 
Do  you  know,  you  've  picked  up  wonderfully  this 
summer.  Just  now  as  you  're  lookin'  at  me  I 
should  say  you  was  years  younger  than  when  you 
come  down  here.  See  how  well  you  get  along  if 
you  give  yourself  half  a  chance.  Now  I  wish 
you  'd  promise  me  " — 

"  Persis,  I  came  in  here  to  tell  you  something  ; 
to  tell  you  first  of  all,  because  you  loved  my  mo 
ther  and  because  you  have  been  the  faithfulest 
friend  I  ever  had.  Miss  Josephine  has  promised 
to  marry  me." 

The  pages  of  the  "  Boston  Journal "  fell  flab 
bily  together,  and  the  paper  slowly  collapsed  under 
the  table. 

"  Doctor  !  "  ejaculated  Persis,  breathless  with 
the  effort  to  grasp  the  foreign  idea. 

The  lamplight  shone  softly  on  the  man's  silvered 


264  DE.  LATIMER. 

hair,  and  as  lie  kept  his  smiling  gaze  on  his  old 
friend,  the  singular  spiritual  strength  and  beauty 
of  his  face  impressed  her  with  ideas  for  which  she 
had  no  utterance. 

"  Paul !  "  she  exclaimed,  going  back  lovingly  to 
the  name  of  other  days,  her  voice  shaking  with 
her  blind  emotion  and  wonder,  "  it 's  a  new  start 
for  you,  ain't  it  ?  I  don't  just  sense  it  yet,  but 
—  God  bless  her." 

"  God  bless  her ! "  repeated  Dr.  Latimer  slowly. 

He  rose  and  went  out  of  doors  again,  and  Per- 
sis  had  no  idea  how  long  she  had  stared  at  the 
chimney-piece  when,  through  all  her  hopefulness 
and  joyful  excitement,  her  kind  heart  suggested 
that  the  girls,  when  they  came  in,  would  feel  freer 
if  they  found  her  asleep.  She  fled  upstairs  with 
more  celerity  than  she  had  used  in  years,  and  so  it 
was  that  the  living-room  was  empty  when  Jose 
phine  and  her  sisters  entered. 

"Don't  you  want  some  gingerbread,  girls," 
asked  Vernon,  struggling  with  a  yawn.  She  was 
starting  for  the  familiar  tin  box  when  Josephine 
detained  her. 

"  I  have  something  to  tell  you,  girls,  before  we 
go  upstairs,  and  Dr.  Latimer  may  come  in." 

"There  now,  hV's  coming,"  said  Vernon  with 
satisfaction.  "  I  told  Helen  you  had  a  secret." 

They  both  regarded  Josephine  curiously  as  she 
stood  before  them  with  pale  face  and  shining  eyes 
that  seemed  to  look  far  away. 

"  You  will  hardly  believe  it,"  she  said  wistfully, 


THE  WOOD  EOAD.  265 

"  for  I  scarcely  can  myself.  "Why  should  it  come 
to  me,  who  am  so  insignificant  ?  " 

"  Why,  Josephine  clear,  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 
replied  Helen,  startled  by  her  sister's  manner  and 
hushed  tone. 

Yernon  grew  pale  to  the  lips.  She  believed 
that  her  worst  fears  were  realized,  and  that  Jose 
phine  had  walked  down  the  wood  road  to-night  to 
tell  Dr.  Latimer  and  receive  his  sanction.  She 
told  herself  that  Olin's  spirits  had  been  unusually 
gay  this  evening,  and  that  this  was  the  reason. 
Every  lightest  word  he  had  ever  let  fall  regarding 
Josephine  flamed  now  before  her  mental  vision  as 
convincing  proof.  She  would  be  strong.  She 
would  die  before  she  betrayed  herself. 

"  She  does  n't  frighten  me,"  she  said  quietly. 
"  I  know  your  secret,  Jo  dear.  Let  me  be  the 
first  to  congratulate  you." 

She  held  out  her  hand  and  Josephine  took  it, 
turning  the  radiance  of  her  luminous  eyes  upon 
Vernon. 

"  Congratulate,"  repeated  Helen  wildly.  "  What 
is  it?  Are  you  engaged,  Josephine?"  She 
grasped  her  sister's  free  hand. 

"  Think  of  the  wonder  of  it,"  said  Josephine, 
turning  slowly  to  her.  "In  all  the  world  full  of 
women  he  loves  me." 

"  And  why  should  n't  he  !  "  exclaimed  Helen 
hastily,  her  eyes  growing  misty.  "  What  a  happy 
man  he  ought  to  be,"  she  added  ardently ;  "  and 
no  doubt  he  is.  Oh,  Josephine,"  kissing  her  lov- 


1W6  DR.    LATIMEK. 

ingly,   u  to  think  that  this   is  the  outcome  of    all 
those  innocent-appearing  pastel  sketches." 

"  Vos,  and  why  you  were  afraid  of  cows,"  Ver- 
non  thought  of  adding,  but  decided  to  save  her  scant 
breath  for  such  speeches  as  should  he  necessary. 

Josephine,  regarded  Helen  dreamily,  as  one  who 
in  a  happy  reverie  finds  difficulty  in  realizing  tho 
occurrences  taking  place  immediately  around  her. 

"  Pastel  sketches?"   she  repeated  vaguely. 

"Oil,  perhaps  you  and  Mr.  Randolph  forgot  ail 
about  the  sketches  when  you  were  once  off.' 

"Mr.  Randolph?"  What  music  to  Vernon's 
ears  was  the  faint  scorn  and  wonder  of  Josephine's 
tone!  "Did  you  think  it  was  Mr.  Randolph? 
Why,  Helen,  it  is  Dr.  Latimer." 

As  though  she  had  called  him,  Dr.  Latimer 
opened  the  door  and  walked  in. 

The  truth  had  been  so  far  removed  from  the 
mind  of  either  Helen  or  Vernon  that  the  pen  can 
not  do  justice  to  the  expression  of  their  faces  at 
this  juncture. 

Dr.  Latimer,  his  noble  height  outlined  against 
the  closed  door,  regarded  them  questioiiingly. 
The  sweet  dignity  and  gravity  of  his  face  oidy 
changed  to  an  unconscious  smile  when  Vernon, 
throwing  off  the  spell  of  her  astonishment,  rushed 
toward  him  with  an  impetuous  movement  and 
Hung  herself,  sobbing,  on  his  breast. 

lie  put  his  arm  around  her  and  smoothed  her 
hair.  "What  is  it,  Vernon,  dear  child?"  lie 
asked  quietly. 


THE  WOOD  ROAD.  267 

"  I  'in  so  hap-hap-happy,"  she  gasped  chokingly. 

"  So  am  I,"  he  answered,  and  a  low  laugh  es 
caped  him  as  his  eyes  sought  Josephine.  The 
girls  had  never  before  heard  him  laugh.  "  But 
let  us  not  cry  about  it,  Vernon,"  he  added. 

The  youngest  felt  deeply  conscious  of  double 
dealing  when  she  regained  her  balance  and  met 
the  grateful  gaze  of  affection  which  Josephine  be 
stowed  upon  her. 

"  What  do  you  say,  Helen?"  asked  the  doctor. 
"  You  look  forgiving." 

"  I  say,"  returned  the  girl,  "  that  the  two  no 
blest  souls  I  have  ever  known  have  found  each 
other."  She  pressed  the  doctor's  hand,  gazed  ex 
pressively  at  him  and  at  Josephine,  then  turned  to 
the  youngest.  "  Vernon,  come  upstairs." 

When  Dr.  Latimer  entered  the  house,  he  had 
just  parted  from  Olin  Randolph,  with  whom  he 
had  been  escorting  Mr.  Bruch  to  his  place  of  lodg 
ing,  and  while  the  above  conversation  was  taking 
place  a  very  sober-faced  young  man  had  entered 
the  Nautilus  and  walked  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 

"  Gone  to  bed,  Aunt  Charlotte  ?  " 

"  Sh  !  You  '11  wake  Dickie.  No,  we  h?rre  n't 
gone  to  bed,"  answered  Miss  Norman. 

"  Too  far  gone  to  come  downstairs  ?  " 

"  N — 110,  not  if  it 's  necessary." 

"  Then  come  down,  both  of  you."  Mr.  Ran 
dolph  flung  himself  into  a  chair,  and  with  his 
hands  stuffed  into  his  pockets  stared  at  the  floor. 

His   aunts,    after   some  little   delay,  appeared, 


268  J)R.  LATIMEE. 

Miss  Charlotte's  curious  face  looking  out  from  be 
tween  locks  of  the  drab  front  hair  which  she  had  just 
been  combing  preparatory  to  winding  it  on  crimp 
ing  pins.  The  younger  sister  was  in  a  white  wrap 
per  and  her  long  hair  fell  loosely  over  it. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  they  both  asked  together. 

Their  nephew  looked  up  moodily.  "  Miss  Ivison 
is  engaged  to  Dr.  Latimer,"  he  said  bluntly. 

Miss  Charlotte  uttered  a  little  shriek  and 
clutched  the  table.  "  Which  one?"  she  de 
manded. 

"Josephine,  of  course." 

"  Well,  Agnes  Norman,  I  hope  you  're  satisfied 
now,"  ejaculated  the  elder  sister  with  sudden  and 
awful  solemnity. 

Agues  might  have  been  excused  for  astonish 
ment  at  this  irrelevant  and  undeserved  attack,  but 
she  only  looked  straight  before  her  with  starry 
eyes  and  nodded  gently. 

"  Yes,  I  am  satisfied." 

"  The  shameless  creature ! "  exclaimed  Miss 
Norman,  reddening  and  striking  the  table  in  the 
fullness  of  her  indignation.  "  The  designing  "  — 

"  Charlotte !  " 

Agnes  had  darted  forward  and  seized  her  sister 
by  the  wrist. 

"Not  one  word  against  that  beautiful  young 
woman  to  whom  we  shall  henceforth  owe  all  honor 
and  love  and  gratitude  !  " 

Miss  Norman  quailed  before  the  stern  white 
face. 


THE  WOOD  ROAD.  269 

"  There  is  nothing  designing  about  her.  She  is 
as  open  and  above-board  as  the  day,"  said  Ran 
dolph  sullenly. 

"  Olin,"  Agnes  released  her  sister  and  fell  on 
her  knees  beside  his  chair,  "  you  did  n't  care  for 
her,  dear  ?  Tell  me  you  did  n't,"  she  pleaded, 
studying  him  with  anxious  eyes. 

"  I  admired  her  immensely.  I  had  no  idea  of 
this,"  he  answered,  in  a  tone  more  indicative  of 
irritation  than  a  broken  heart. 

u  But  you  will  be  reconciled  to  it,  Olin,  when 
you  realize,  when  you  think  what  it  means  to  have 
him  happy  once  more.  You  do  not  know  what 
he  suffered ;  you  were  too  young.  But  Charlotte 
knows.  Oh,  Charlotte,  how  can  you  —  how  can 
my  sister  be  capable  of  one  thought  now  that  is 
not  all  thankfulness  to  God?"  She  bowed  her 
head  on  the  arm  of  Olin's  chair  and  sobbed  unre 
strainedly.  The  unprecedented  sight  electrified 
her  companions. 

Randolph  lifted  her  kindly  and  put  her  in  his 
own  place,  letting  her  head  lie  on  his  shoulder  as 
he  knelt  beside  her. 

"  Agnes,  my  dear  Agnes,"  begged  Miss  Norman 
brokenly.  "  Do  forgive  me ;  pray  do,  dear,  and 
don't  cry  so.  I  did  n't  have  time  to  think  it  all 
out.  I  won't  distress  you  again.  Oh,  do,  Olin, 
persuade  her  to  stop.  She  will  make  herself  ill. 
I  dare  say  Josephine  never  thought  of  the  doctor's 
money  or  position." 

"  I  dare  swear  she  did  n't,"   added  Randolph 


270  DE.  LATIMEB. 

warmly.  "  She  is  worthy  of  him,  and  everybody 
knows  Dr.  Latimer  is  worthy  of  any  woman. 
There  is  nothing  to  cry  about,  Aunt  Agnes." 

The  weeping  woman  slid  her  hand  around  her 
nephew's  muscular  neck,  as  he  had  many  a  time 
clung  to  her  for  comfort  in  times  past,  and  her 
emotion  being  an  unheard-of  ebullition,  he  soothed 
her  very  tenderly  until  she  was  once  more  self- 
controlled. 

But  Miss  Charlotte  Norman  had  received  a  les> 
son  which  lasted  her  all  her  life. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PEBBLY    BEACH. 

THE  next  day  dawned  clear  again.  "  It 's  a 
wonder  how  this  weather  holds,"  said  Persis  to 
herself,  as  she  regulated  the  height  of  a  window- 
shade  in  the  parlor  and  looked  out  upon  the  ocean 
that  morning.  Majestic  green  billows  were  rolling 
in  from  the  sea  with  a  force  which  caused  the  fine 
spray  to  rise  like  smoke  from  along  the  line  of 
each  crest  as  they  advanced. 

"  But  Nature  ought  to  rejoice  to-day  if  ever," 
she  added  with  a  smile,  as  she  returned  to  her 
kitchen  and  the  breakfast  dishes. 

A  shadow  fell  across  the  grass  and  Olin  appeared 
outside  the  window  next  the  sink.  He  leaned  his 
arms  on  the  sill. 

"  Who  is  at  home  ?  "  he  asked. 

"The  old  lady,"  responded  Persis,  pouring  a 
dipperful  of  water  into  her  pan. 

"  Where  are  your  faithful  helpers  you  talk  so 
much  about?" 

"  It  was  Miss  Josephine's  turn  this  mornin'  "  — 
Miss  Applebee's  gratified  smile  again  overspread 
her  countenance  —  "  and  says  I  to  her :  '  Thou 
shalt  not  wash  dishes  nor  yet  feed  the  swine.' ' 


Zd  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  But  sit  on  a  cushion  "    -  suggested  Randolph. 

Persis  nodded.  "  Exactly.  A  cushion  in  the 
doctor's  boat.  That 's  where  she  is  now.  Well, 
what  do  you  think  of  our  engagement  ? "  The 
housekeeper's  satisfaction  seemed  to  radiate  about 
her. 

"Why,  it  took  our  breath  away  over  at  the 
Nautilus.  I  did  n't  suppose  the  doctor  was  a  mar 
rying  man.  I  suppose  you  were  prepared  for  it." 

Persis  cleared  her  throat.  She  was  reluctant  to 
admit  how  the  newrs  had  amazed  her.  "  I  hain't 
been  so  tickled  over  anythin'  since  that  wretched 
woman  died,"  she  replied. 

"What?     Oh,  yes." 

"  That  was  five  years  ago,  and  I  was  just  about 
as  happy  then  as  I  am  now.  May  I  be  forgiven 
if  't  was  a  sin.  I  dunno  but  what  after  all  Miss 
Josephine's  my  favorite  o'  the  girls,"  continued 
Persis.  "  Last  night,  I  guess  about  midnight,  I 
made  some  sound  that  let  her  know  I  was  awake 
and  she  come  to'  my  bedside  and  says  she :  '  Per 
sis  ?'  «  What  ?  '  says  I.  Then  she  put  that  pretty 
hand  o'  hers  on  mine  and  says  she,  'Are  you  willin' 
I  should  have  him  ?  '  says  she,  very  softly.  '  Bless 
your  heart,'  says  I,  4  it 's  the  best  thing  that  ever 
happened  to  him  in  all  his  life  ; '  and  says  she : 
4  Thank  you,  Persis.  I  should  have  been  so  sorry 
if  you  did  n't  like  it.'  Then  she  went  back  to  bed." 
Miss  Applebee  winked  several  times  before  she 
looked  up  again  at  Olin.  "  They  're  all  nice,"  she 
added,  fixing  him  with  a  piercing  glance,  "and 


PEBBLY  BEACH.  273 

they  've  narrered  down  to  two.  I  can  tell  you, 
Olin  Randolph,  them  girls  '11  go  off,  now  they  've 
started,  like  hot  cakes." 

"  They  seem  to  have  gone  off  like  something 
this  morning,"  returned  Olin  smiling,  "  and  I  sup 
pose  Bruuh  is  with  them.  He  has  vanished." 

"  Yes ;  he  and  Miss  Helen  went  in  the  boat,  too. 
Yernon  's  gone  to  Pebbly  Beach.  She  's  got  a  new 
scheme  that  she  's  all  taken  up  with." 

So  Olin,  restlessly  unfit  for  his  own  society, 
stepped  over  the  slight  railing  at  the  edge  of 
the  cliff,  and  plunging  down  its  steep  face  to  the 
rough  shore,  walked  northward  over  heavy  boul 
ders,  which  gradually  decreased  in  size  until  on 
Pebbly  Beach  he  found  himself  treading  upon 
myriad  fairy  stones  of  the  delicate  sea  colors. 

He  descried  Yernon  and  Dickie  from  afar,  their 
heads  together  over  a  basket  lying  near  them. 
The  inflowing  and  retreating  waves  played  so 
roughly  with  the  pebbles  that  their  clashing,  as 
they  rolled  over  one  another,  shut  out  the  sound  of 
Olin's  footsteps,  and  the  first  warning  Yernon  had 
of  his  approach  was  the  inarticulate  screech  on 
high  C  with  which  the  small  boy  rejoices  to  hail 
his  friends. 

"  My  !  You  scared  me,  Dickie,"  she  said  with 
a  start.  "Oh,  good-morning,  Mr.  Randolph.  I 
did  n't  know  you  ever  came  to  Pebbly.  Are  you 
going  to  stay,  or  are  you  going  up-along?"  She 
looked  at  him  brightly, 

"  I  '11  stay  if  you  will  let  me." 


274  DR.  LATIMER. 

"  Of  course  I  will.  We  'd  like  another  helper, 
would  n't  we,  Dickie  ?  You  will  have  to  work, 
though,  like  everything." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  't  is  n't  very  easy,"  declared  the 
child,  shaking  his  head  importantly. 

"  What  is  the  scheme  ?  "  asked  Olin,  in  a  tone 
which  did  not  promise  energetic  cooperation. 

"  We  've  got  to  get  the  prettiest  pebbles  and 
just  the  right  size,"  explained  Dickie  impressively, 
"  and  when  we  get  home  we  '11  fill  little  bottles 
with  'em  and  cover  'em  with  alka  —  alka"  — 

"  Alcohol,"  said  Vernon. 

"  Yes  ;  it  makes  'em  as  bright,  and  then  we  are 
going  to  give  'em  to  the  children  in  the  hospitals 
to  play  with." 

"  Not  a  bad  idea.     Whose  is  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  Dr.  Latimer  was  talking  to  us  about  the 
hospitals  the  other  day,"  explained  Vernon,  "  and 
he  was  so  interesting  I  felt  as  though  I  could  n't 
wait  to  do  something ;  and  it  just  came  into  my 
head  that  perhaps  I  could  take  some  of  the  dear 
island  to  them  this  way,  —  bottles  of  pebbles  for 
the  children  and  little  fir-balsam  pillows  for  the 
older  ones." 

"  Good  scheme,"  vouchsafed  Randolph,  sitting 
down  and  beginning  to  toss  little  stones  into  the 
basket. 

"  Here,  here  !  "  exclaimed  Vernon.  "  You  must 
be  very  careful.  We  only  take  the  very  best." 

"  Yes,  and  we  may  take  the  very  best,"  said 
Dickie  eagerly.  "  Go  on,  Miss  Vernon.  You  had 


PEBBLY  BEACH.  275 

only  got  as  far  as  c  Once  there  was  a  great  giant.' ' 
Such  anticipatory  relish  as  Dickie  threw  into  these 
words ! 

The  girl  looked  her  reluctance  and  hesitated  as 
she  picked  over  the  stones  in  her  hand. 

"  If  you  don't  I  '11  peg  at  you,"  announced 
Dickie,  scientifically  drawing  back  his  right  hand, 
which  held  a  pebble. 

The  girl  lifted  her  big  blue  eyes  to  his  mischiev 
ous  ones.  "  Sir  Galahad  would  n't  speak  that 
way,"  she  said  quietly. 

To  Olin's  astonishment  this  argument  appeared 
to  have  weight.  Dickie  shied  the  pebble  at  a  strip 
of  dried  kelp  stranded  above  them.  "Well,  go  on; 
won't  you,  please  ?  " 

"  Once  there  was  a  great  giant,"  began  Vernon, 
"  and  his  name  was  Atlantic  Ocean.  He  was  very 
beautiful  and  powerful  and  generous." 

"  Was  n't  he  ever  bad  ?  "  asked  Dickie,  who 
preferred  his  giants  spiced  with  original  sin. 

"  Yes,  sometimes  he  lost  control  of  himself  en 
tirely,  and  went  into  fits  of  temper,  roaring  and 
lashing  about  so  terribly  that  I  could  not  tell  you 
in  a  day  all  the  harm  he  did  at  such  times ;  but 
when  he  was  in  his  right  mind  he  made  everybody 
happy,  as  all  good  people  do.  He  was  very,  very 
rich.  All  the  pearls  in  the  world  were  once  gifts 
from  him.  No  one  could  count  his  jewel  caskets, 
and  many  of  them  he  left  uncovered  all  the  time. 
He  was  not  only  willing  everybody  should  help 
himself,  but  he  was  nearly  always  busy  polishing 


276  DR.   LATIMEE. 

the  jewels  to  make  them  more  beautiful.  Think 
how  tiresome  we  should  consider  it  to  rub  a  pre 
cious  stone  for  half  an  hour.  Well,  Atlantic 
Ocean  has  polished  his  jewels  for  hundreds  of 
years,  and  he  allows  us  to  come  to  this  lovely  dis 
play  and  take  the  very  best,  —  there  is  no  fear  of 
offending  him,  —  and  those  we  leave  he  will  con 
tinue  patiently  to  polish,  and  offer  them  to  the 
next  comers." 

"  Hi !  See  that,"  cried  Dickie,  handing  Yernon 
a  translucent  little  stone  of  pale  green. 

"  Pretty  enough  to  set  in  gold,"  said  Yernon 
admiringly.  "  Here,  Mr.  Randolph,"  passing  the 
pebble  to  him.  "  Drop  it  into  the  basket,  please, 
but  look  at  it  first  for  an  object  lesson.  That  is 
the  sort  of  pebble  you  are  expected  to  find  in  large 
quantities  and  assorted  colors." 

Mr.  Randolph  examined  the  stone,  then,  deliber 
ately  robbing  its  possible  owner,  dropped  it  unno 
ticed  into  his  own  pocket,  and  to  compensate  for 
the  larceny  began  to  search  in  earnest  for  further 
worthy  candidates  for  the  basket. 

"  Yes,"  said  Yernon,  graciously  nodding  ap 
proval  of  several  which  he  displayed  to  her, 
"those  that  have  the  shape  and  look  of  sugared 
almonds  can  all  go  in.  It  is  an  everlasting  sort  of 
confectionery  that  won't  hurt  the  little  chicks." 

As  the  sun  grew  hotter  she  found  her  lieuten 
ants  less  inclined  to  subject  their  candidates  to 
strict  examination,  but  Yernon  turned  a  deaf  ear 
to  all  appeals  to  lower  the  standard.  Taking  the 


PEBBLY  BEACH.  277 

basket  in  her  lap  for  safety  and  discovering  it  to 
be  suspiciously  heavy,  she  burrowed  among  the 
pebbles  and  drew  forth  a  common  gray  stone  as 
bi°r  as  her  two  fists. 

O 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  she  asked,  turning 
an  accusing  gaze  upon  Olin,  who  looked  at  her 
blandly.  "  You  wanted  to  fill  up  the  basket !  " 

"  You  wrong  me.  Don't  you  observe  the  pecul 
iar  excrescence  on  the  end  of  that  stone  ?  It  is 
perfectly  evident  that  it  needs  surgical  attention, 
and  it  will  never  have  such  another  chance  to  go 
to  a  hospital." 

"  You  won't  put  another  stone  in  that  I  don't 
see." 

"  Certainly  not.  Here  is  one.  It  is  common 
enough  in  color,  you  will  say,  but  observe  that 
white  star  in  the  centre." 

"  Drop  it!  No,  no  ;  not  in  the  basket,"  throw 
ing  it  out  energetically. 

Mr.  Randolph  sighed  patiently.  "  Well,  here  ; 
how  is  this  ?  Princeton  colors.  Polished  till  you 
can  see  your  face  in  it." 

"  Dickie,  do  you  think  that  is  pretty  ?  "  asked 
Vernon  holding  the  pebble  between  thumb  and 
forefinger  doubtfully. 

"  Yep." 

"  Yes,  Miss  Vernon,"  corrected  the  girl  mechan 
ically,  still  considering  the  pebble.  "  A  child  can 
tell  what  children  would  like  better  than  we  can." 

"  Oh,  if  that 's  all,  I  was  young  once  myself," 
returned  Olin  cheerfully.  "  Now,  here  is  one  ;  see 


278  DR.  LATIMER. 

that  queer  ring  around  it.  I  would  have  walked 
miles  to  find  that  when  I  was  Dickie's  age. 
Whew  !  is  n't  it  hot  under  the  lee  of  this  hill  ?  " 
He  caught  off  his  hat  and  fanned  himself. 

O 

"  Dickie,  will  you  have  the  goodness  to  take  that 
clam-shell  and  fill  it  with  water  and  come  and 
baste  me  ?  I  'm  entirely  done  on  one  side." 

"  No,"  said  Vernon  firmly,  discarding  his  offer 
ing  "  that  won't  do  at  all.  Now,  Mr.  Randolph, 
you  must  take  more  pains,"  she  continued  authori 
tatively.  "  You  offered  your  services  of  your  own 
accord,  and  now  you  must  accomplish  something." 

"  I  wish  I  had  some  ginger  ale,"  remarked 
Dickie,  wiping  his  flushed  forehead  with  his  little 
flannel  sleeve." 

"  I  '11  tell  you,"  said  Olin  with  inspiration. 
"  Let  us  go  back  now  and  get  cool  and  come  out 
and  search  for  pebbles  by  moonlight." 

"  Hurry,  hurry,"  returned  Vernon  unmoved. 
"  Find  me  a  dozen  perfect  beauties  and  you  shall 
go.  Think,  Dickie,  of  the  little  children  who 
would  believe  themselves  in  heaven  if  they  could 
only  be  where  we  are.  They  have  to  trust  us  to 
do  their  selecting  for  them.  It  is  a  matter  of 
honor,  you  see." 

With  a  deep  sigh  Randolph  began  to  pull  over 
the  little  stones.  It  was  seldom  he  offered  one, 
extol  it  as  he  might,  that  Vernon  did  not  hesitate 
over  it  critically ;  but  after  considerable  haggling 
and  wrangling,  interspersed  with  despairing  re 
quests  from  Olin  for  "  a  yew-shaded  tomb,"  the 


PEBBLY  BEACH.  279 

exacting  maiden  consented  to  depart  with  her 
spoils,  and  on  the  way  home  expatiated  on  their 
beauties  with  all  a  collector's  enthusiasm. 

"  And  this  is  what  you  call  sweet  charity,"  said 
Olin. 

"  Yes,  and  when  I  am  ready  to  get  the  fir  for 
the  pillows,  perhaps  I  '11  let  you  help  me,  too." 

She  glanced  at  him  gayly  as  the  three  moved 
along  the  rough  shore. 

Randolph  looked  hunted. 

"  I  think  I  '11  go  sword-fishing  with  down-along 
Martin.  He  leaves  to-morrow  to  be  gone  two 
weeks.  That  will  about  use  up  the  rest  of  my  va 
cation." 

As  they  ascended  the  cliff  to  the  cool,  delicious 
temperature  of  the  upper  air,  they  saw  Mr.  Bruch 
coming  through  Maiden  Lane,  his  face  exceedingly 
white  under  the  fresh,  new  outing-cap  he  wore. 

"  Home  from  your  sail  ?  "  said  Olin. 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  was  so  sick  as  I  could  be !  " 
exclaimed  the  professor.  "  I  have  suffered  — 
ach !  "  rolling  his  eyes  heavenward,  "  how  I  have 
suffered!" 

"  Oh,  that  will  all  pass  off  in  a  short  time," 
returned  Randolph,  with  that  robust  confidence 
always  displayed  by  persons  to  whom  the  ups  and 
downs  of  old  ocean  have  never  brought  aught  but 
exhilaration.  "  You  must  get  over  that,  for  sail 
ing  is  half  the  life  down  here." 

"  I  do  not  go  in  a  boat  again.  Realla,  no,"  re 
plied  the  professor,  "  you  must  excuse  me." 


280  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"  Of  course  you  shan't  if  you  don't  want  to," 
said  Vernon  comfortingly.  "  Where  is  Helen  ?  " 
She  rather  hoped  her  sister  was  also  suffering. 
She  had  scolded  her  for  accepting  the  doctor's  in 
vitation  this  morning.  "  I  trust  she  did  not  stay 
with  them,"  she  added,  with  virtuous  indignation. 

"  No,  she  landed,  too,  but  she  has  gone  to  a 
house  to  sing  with  some  children." 

"  Oh,  yes.  That 's  Helen,"  observed  Vernon, 
turning  to  Olin.  "  I  don't  believe  there  's  a  child 
on  this  island  that  she  does  n't  know  ;  and  now 
she  is  teaching  them  songs  as  though  that  was  n't 
her  work  all  the  year." 

"  She  is  an  angel,  that  girl,"  remarked  the  pro 
fessor  with  simplicity. 

"  They  're  all  a  little  cranky,  the  Ivison  family," 
said  Olin.  "  Here  is  this  member  breaking  down 
the  health  of  her  friends  in  order  to  provide 
amusement  for  people  already  in  the  hospital. 
There  's  no  balance  to  a  mind  like  that." 

"  Just  look  at  my  pebbles,  Mr.  Bruch,"  Ver 
non  was  beginning,  with  enthusiasm,  when  Persis 
appeared  at  the  door  of  the  Sea  Shell,  pulling 
down  her  calico  sleeves. 

"Anythin'  the  matter  with  Mr.  Brook?"  she 
inquired  vaguely,  always  being  under  the  impres 
sion  that  the  German  could  not  clearly  understand 
English. 

"  Yes,  it  is  very  rough  this  morning,"  answered 
Vernon. 

"  I  thought  he  looked  as  white  as  a  cloth  when 


PEBBLY  BEACH.  281 

he  come  up  through  the  field.  Don't  you  know 
any  better  than  to  keep  him  standin'  there  in  the 
sun?  Mr.  Brook,"  raising  her  voice  loudly,  after 
the  usual  manner  of  addressing  a  foreigner, 
"  don't  you  want  to  come  in  and  lay  down  on  the 
doctor's  sofa  ?  " 

The  professor  raised  his  cap  politely.  "  I  am 
afraid  I  inconvenience  you,  madam.  I  can  go 
right  "- 

"Not  one  bit.  You  come  right  along,"  re 
turned  Miss  Applebee  in  a  hospitable  roar.  "  I  '11 
make  you  comfortable  in  one  minute." 

If  there  was  anything  in  which  the  heart  of 
Persis  delighted  it  was  to  make  a  fellow-being 
comfortable,  and  no  one  knew  better  than  she  how 
to  do  it.  Presently  Mr.  Bruch  found  himself  ly 
ing  at  length  beside  a  shady  window  which  com 
manded  a  long  view  of  shore,  his  head  on  soft  pil 
lows  and  a  light  summer  shawl  spread  over  him  ; 
but  before  Persis  went  into  the  house  she  had 
flung  a  bit  of  consolation  at  her  rebuked  young 
people.  If  she  chastened  with  one  hand  she  usu 
ally  comforted  with  the  other. 

"  I  've  just  baked  gingerbread,"  she  remarked 
sententiously. 

"  In  that  case,"  returned  Olin,  "  the  Sea  Shell 
piazza  is  good  enough  for  me,"  and  he  advanced 
and  sat  down  expectantly  in  its  shade.  Dickie 
tumbled  tumultuously  into  the  hammock.  Ham 
mocks  were  chronic  011  the  cottage  piazzas. 

"  Why  did  n't  you  offer  that  to  Miss  YernoD  ?  " 


282  DR.  LATIMER. 

asked   his   cousin  severely.      "  What   do  you  sup 
pose  Sir  Galahad  would  do  in  a  case  like  that  ?  " 

"  I  guess  Sir  Galahad  would  have  lied  in  a 
hammock  if  he  'd  had  one,"  returned  Dickie,  pre 
ferring  discussion  to  renunciation  of  the  extremely 
comfortable  position  he  had  fallen  upon. 

"  I  can't  contradict  you.  It  has  always  seemed 
to  me  he  utilized  any  situation  in  which  he  found 
himself,  for  that  purpose." 

Randolph  looked  at  Yernon  as  he  murmured 
his  rejoinder.  She  flashed  a  threatening  glance 
at  him. 

"  Be  careful,  if  you  want  me  ever  to  speak  to 
you  again.  A  nice  teacher  you  are  !  " 

"  You  mistake.  Architect  —  of  my  own  for 
tunes.  Getting  along  very  slowly." 

"  Well,  you  must  n't  contaminate  that  child.  He 
belongs  to  its.  I  am  partly  responsible  for  him." 

"  Yes,  he  belongs  to  us,"  repeated  Olin,  with  ex 
asperating  calm.  "It  is  very  pleasant  to  me,  I  as 
sure  you,  to  have  such  a  partner  of  my  joys  and 
sorrows  as  you." 

Vernon  blushed  so  furiously  beneath  this  chaff 
ing  that  Olin  for  very  surprise  looked  away. 

"  Where  is  that  gingerbread  ?  "  he  called,  lean 
ing  back,  one  knee  in  his  embrace,  until  he  could 
peer  in  through  the  screen  door. 

"  Beggars  should  n't  be  choosers,"  retorted  Per- 
sis  from  within.  "  You  never  did  have  any 
gratitude,  Olin  Randolph.  Here  I  am  gettin'  you 
ginger  ale,  and  you  hurry  in'  of  me  up." 


PEBBLY  BEACH.  283 

At  this  the  young  man  had  the  grace  to  spring 
to  his  feet,  and,  hastening  into  the  house,  to  relieve 
Persis  of  her  little  tray  of  glasses  and  the  heaping 
plate  of  delicate,  delicious,  hot  gingerbread,  which 
to  taste  was  worth  a  journey  from  Portland,  had 
the  island  possessed  no  other  charm. 

Poor  Mr.  Bruch  could  not  be  tempted  to  partake, 
but  the  lunch  was  fully  appreciated  on  the  piazza. 

"  I  believe,"  observed  Vernoii,  between  two  bites, 
gazing  reflectively  at  the  square  of  ground  behind 
the  Nautilus,  "  I  believe  I  should  like  to  play  a 
game  of  croquet." 

Mr.  Randolph  looked  startled.  "  With  Dickie ; 
yes,  I  would.  Dickie  plays  very  well.  I  don't 
believe  Sir  Gal —  " 

"No,  I'll  play  with  you." 

"  Great  Scott !  Let  me  go  back  to  Pebbly  Beach. 
I  '11  promise  to  find  nothing  but  agates  and  beryls. 
No,  I  '11  tell  you,  Miss  Vernon,  it  is  a  great 
shame  you  don't  know  tennis.  Let  me  teach  you, 
and  if  you  like  it  perhaps  I  shall  not  have  to  go 
sword-fishing." 

So  when  Helen  returned,  she  found  these  two 
bounding  about  on  opposite  sides  of  a  net  and 
Dickie  asleep  in  the  hammock.  It  surprised  her 
to  walk  into  the  Sea  Shell  and  there  find  Mr. 
Bruch  extended  at  ease. 

He  hastened  to  rise  at  sight  of  her. 

"  Please  don't,"  she  said,  with  a  gesture  which 
sent  him  back  again.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so 
comfortable." 


284  DR.  LAT1MEE. 

"  Yes,  Mrs.  Persis  has  been  most  kind,"  lie  an< 
swered  gratefully.  u  She  has  given  me  a  brandy 
made  of  cherries  that  was  beautiful.  I  am  sorry 
to  make  trouble  on  my  first  day,  but  I  make  no 
more.  I  suppose  one  must  sail  once,  but  now  it 
is  behind  me." 

A  determination  to  keep  the  experience  behind 
him  and  to  profit  by  it  shone  from  the  German's 
spectacles.  "  I  do  not  lie  down  in  your  presence, 
Miss  Helen,"  added  the  polite  man  as  the  girl 
seated  herself  in  a  neighboring  rocking-chair,  and 
he  raised  himself  with  celerity. 

"  It  is  unkind  of  you  to  send  me  upstairs,"  she 
returned. 

"  But  I  am  well,  entirely  well,"  he  returned 
anxiously.  "  Do  not  leave  me." 

So  Helen  permitted  him  to  sit  in  his  corner  and 
tjld  him  about  the  shy  children  she  had  been 
teaching,  while  Persis,  the  other  side  of  the  open 
door,  chopped  the  clams  for  dinner. 

Presently  Miss  Charlotte  Norman  put  her  head 
in.  "  I  have  come  to  see  who  has  run  away  with 
my  guest,"  she  said,  with  uncommon  jocoseness. 
t;  Sister  Agnes  is  nursing  a  headache  to-day,  so  I 
ftin  full  of  business  at  home." 

"  That 's  all  right,"  called  Persis.  "  I  was  the 
good  Samaritan  that  took  him  in." 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Norman,"  said  Mr.  Bruch, 
springing  promptly  to  his  feet.  "  I  was  very  dizzy 
from  sailing  "  — 

"  Oh,  that 's  it  ?  All  right,"  and  Miss  Charlotte, 
\\ith  a  smiling  nod,  popped  out  again. 


PEBBLY  BEACH.  285 

Presently  Vernon  and  Olin  came  in,  and  the 
latter  was  recounting  the  chapter  of  her  failures 
and  successes  to  the  running  accompaniment  of 
the  girl's  protests,  when  Dr.  Latimer  and  Jose 
phine  appeared,  the  latter  rosy  and  disheveled 
from  the  embraces  of  the  rough,  audacious  wind. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  never  come  with  us  again, 
Mr.  Bruch,"  she  said,  her  dark  eyes  dancing  with 
life  and  happiness. 

"  Never,"  responded  the  German  with  unction. 
"  I  will  die  for  you,  Miss  Josephine,  yes,  with 
pleasure ;  but  not  live  on  those  waves  in  a  little 
boat,  no." 

Everybody  laughed,  and  Mr.  Bruch  looked  from 
one  to  the  other  of  the  newly  engaged  couple  with 
evident  gratification.  He  classed  the  friendly 
young  drawing-teacher  as  one  of  his  benefactors, 
and  that  she  should  have  joined  her  life  to  that  of 
his  most  influential  friend  seemed  to  him  both  po 
etry  and  justice. 

"  Yet  it  was  glorious,"  answered  Josephine.  "  I 
am  sorry  you  could  not  enjoy  it,  too." 

Dr.  Latimer  was  watching  her  ;  and  Olin,  as  he 
saw  the  light  in  the  face  of  the  long-lonely  man, 
no  longer  grudged  him  the  gift  which  had  come  to 
him  in  Casco  Bay. 

"  Sweet  Casco  Bay ! 
Where  life  is  joy,  and  love  at  play 
'Midst  summer  isles  of  Casco  Bay." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

AT   THE   POKTLAND    DOCK. 

IT  was  consistent  with  Miss  Charlotte  Norman's 
inflexible  narrowness  of  nature  that  she  should  not 
have  realized  that  her  nephew  might  look  upon 
the  Ivisons  with  sentiments  differing  from  the  pa 
tronizing  friendliness  which  had  in  her  own  mind 
supplanted  her  old  inimical  feelings.  Olin's  be 
havior  as  he  announced  Dr.  Latimer's  engagement 
opened  her  eyes  to  the  precipice  whose  edge  he 
had  been  skirting,  and  yet,  now  that  Josephine 
was  entirely  out  of  his  reach,  she  did  not  seem  so 
obnoxious  a  partie  after  all. 

The  future  Mrs.  Latimer  was  a  person  of  conse 
quence  already.  Miss  Charlotte  knew  in  detail 
what  the  happy  girl  was  carelessly  ignorant  of; 
knew  that  there  were  rare  gems  buried  long  years 
in  an  iron  vault,  along  with  family  plate  whose 
richness  would  now  all  be  at  her  command ;  knew 
that,  more  valuable  still,  a  social  position  awaited 
her  which  Miss  Norman  felt  Josephine's  beauty 
would  grace. 

It  was  not  in  the  possibilities  of  Miss  Char 
lotte's  nature  that  she  should  curry  favor  from 
mean  motives,  At  the  same  time  it  was  impossi- 


AT  THE  PORTLAND    DOCK.  287 

ble  that  her  valuation  of  Miss  Ivison  should  not 
undergo  a  change  owing  to  this  astounding  move 
on  Dr.  Latimer's  part.  Moreover,  no  one  could 
be  so  prejudiced  as  not  to  perceive  that  it  was 
love  and  not  gratified  ambition  which  made  the 
world  go  round  for  Josephine  in  these  days.  She 
seemed  to  saturate  everything  and  everybody 
about  her  with  an  effervescence  from  the  deeps  of 
her  happiness,  while  as  for  her  lover,  though  si 
lent  or  deliberate  of  speech  as  ever,  one  had  but  to 
look  to  see  vitality  returning  to  him  day  by  day, 
restoring  to  him  the  youth  and  strength  of  which 
he  had  been  so  hardly  defrauded. 

"You  never  take  your  pastels  with  you  any 
more,"  said  Vernon  to  Josephine  as  the  latter  was 
starting  off  for  a  walk  one  morning. 

"No  use,"  returned  the  girl,  with  her  sudden, 
brilliant  smile,  and  although  Olin  and  Dr.  Lati- 
mer  were  standing  by  she  added,  "I  should  need 
a  pencil  dipped  in  sunlight  to  sketch  the  island  as 
it  looks  to  me  now." 

Vernon  and  Olin  gazed  after  them  as  they 
moved  away,  the  doctor  carrying  a  book. 

"She  isn't  ashamed  of  it,"  observed  the  latter. 

"No,  indeed.  She  is  proud.  Oh,  I  think  it 
is  perfectly  beautiful !  "  exclaimed  Vernon  wist 
fully. 

"It  is,  just  that.  If  the  hardest  of  the  Ivison 
hearts  is  capable  of  such  complete  capitulation, 
what  will  the  others  be  when  their  turn  comes?" 

"That  is  a  very  impertinent  bit  of  speculation." 


288  DR.  LATIMER. 

Olin  regarded  the  rosy  face  through  half -closed 
lids. 

"You  ought  to  know  by  this  time  that  I  am  in 
capable  of  impertinence.  But  I  have  an  inquir 
ing  mind.  When  Helen's  time  comes,  and  yours, 
may  I  be  there  to  see! " 

Vernon  thought  it  highly  improbable  that  her 
time  would  ever  come  if  he  were  not  there  to  see, 
and  that  being  the  case,  her  reply  had  in  it  the 
amount  of  candor  to  be  expected. 

"You  would  have  to  produce  a  few  more  men 
like  Dr.  Latimer." 

"  Oho  !  Miss  Josephine  has  set  a  copy,  has 
she?" 

"Yes;  and  I  fancy  you  wouldn't  find  that  an 
easy  task.  He  must  have  silvery  hair  that  waves 
off  the  forehead  just  like  Dr.  Latimer's." 

"  My  hair  was  white  about  eighteen  years  ago. 
Wouldn't  that  count  for  something?  Aunt 
Agnes  used  to  call  me  the  silver-haired  prince, 
after  some  fairy  hero  of  hers." 

"You  are  a  very  flippant  young  man,"  rejoined 
Vernon,  with  a  superior  air. 

This  talk  had  taken  place  outside  the  Sea  Shell, 
and  here  Persis,  who  had  overheard  it,  came  to 
the  window.  "You  're  goin'  to  Portland  at 
eleven,  ain't  you,  Olin?" 

"Yes,  madam." 

At  home  in  Boston  Miss  Applebee  was  scrupu 
lous  to  give  the  young  man  his  dignified  title  on 
the  very  rare  occasions  when  their  paths  crossed, 


AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK.  289 

but  down  here  she  used  the  name  under  which 
she  had  scolded  or  petted  him  through  his  boy 
hood. 

"  Well,  Yernon,  is  there  any  reason  why  you 
can't  get  on  another  dress  and  go  'long?  I  '<!  give 
a  good  deal  to  get  the  rest  o'  them  worsteds  to 
day,  and,  land  o'  liberty,  I  'd  just  as  soon  trust 
Puggy  to  match  'em  as  Olin!  " 

The  latter  raised  his  cap  and  made  a  ceremoni 
ous  bow. 

"I  suppose  I  can  go,"  returned  the  girl  slowly. 

"All  right.  You  bring  home  some  blueberries, 
Olin,  and  I  '11  make  you  as  good  a  pie  as  ever  you 
set  your  eyes  on." 

"Not  a  juicy  one  ! "  exclaimed  the  young  man, 
expressing  sudden  dramatic  emotion. 

"You  see,"  returned  Persis,  with  Delphic 
vagueness.  She  muttered  defiantly  to  some  un 
seen  accuser  as  she  entered  the  doctor's  room  and 
began  making  the  bed:  "I  ain't  any  match 
maker,  but,  law  sakes !  when  two  folks  are  just 
made  for  each  other  and  hain't  got  sense  enough 
to  know  it,  I  will  get  behind  once  in  a  while  and 
give  'em  a  push." 

The  two  young  people,  unaware  of  any  schem 
ing  for  their  benefit,  nevertheless  enjoyed  the  re 
sult.  The  Merriconeag  worked  her  busy  way  from 
Harpswell  Neck  past  the  mysteries  of  pretty,  un 
inhabited  shores,  about  each  one  of  which  Olin 
had  a  tale  to  tell  of  his  boyish  explorations ;  then 
the  boat  began  touching  at  the  well-known  islands 


290  DR.  LATIMER. 

more  and  more  thickly  settled  as  they  neared  the 
city,  with  summer  homes  and  hotels. 

"The  sight  of  these  places  makes  me  exult  in 
Maiden  Lane,"  said  Vernon. 

"It  is  a  good  thing  to  be  satisfied,"  replied  her 
companion  with  a  smile. 

"These  poor  people  seem  fairly  shut  in,  by  com 
parison." 

Olin's  smile  broadened  as  he  viewed  the  ex 
panse  of  dancing  blue  water  about  them. 

"Our  island  is  like  a  beautiful  secret,"  contin 
ued  Vernon,  "and  I  love  secrets  that  I  'm  in  my 
self." 

She  looked  so  pretty  and  innocent  as  she  raised 
her  eyes  to  Randolph's  that  Miss  Applebee  would 
have  been  elated  with  the  effect  she  produced  upon 
the  rather  cold  and  critical  young  man. 

The  little  steamer  at  last  felt  its  way  up  to  its 
own  pier  in  the  populous  harbor  full  of  all  sorts 
and  conditions  of  craft. 

As  Vernon  and  Olin  were  leaving  the  boat  a 
woman  who  had  been  carefully  scrutinizing  the 
face  of  each  passenger  who  crossed  the  plank 
started  at  sight  of  the  young  man  and  gazed  at 
him  so  steadily  that  his  eyes  met  her.  He  saw  a 
tall  figure  dressed  shabbily,  in  no  way  remarkable 
except  for  the  strange,  hungry  gaze  with  which 
she  followed  his  every  movement,  even  persisting 
after  she  knew  herself  observed. 

"  Crazy ,"  thought  Olin,  with  a  passing  sensation 
of  pity;  then  turned  to  his  companion  and  would 


AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK.  291 

have  forgotten  the  stranger  but  that  she  hurried 
after  him  and  he  heard  her  voice  at  his  elbow. 

" Pardon  me.      Isn't  your  name  Randolph?" 

"It  is."  Olin's  hand  went  mechanically  to  his 
hat  and  Vernon's  sunny  face  looked  to  see  who 
had  spoken  to  him.  The  hard  lines  in  the  wo 
man's  face,  the  yellowish  tinge  of  her  eyeballs, 
and  the  careless  disorder  of  her  hair  and  dress 
were  repellent. 

"Do  you  know  me?"  she  continued,  looking  at 
him  with  an  odd  smile. 

"No,"  rejoined  Randolph,  curtly,  and  was  mov 
ing  on. 

The  smile  went  out  of  the  woman's  face. 
"Wait,"  she  said,  imperiously.  "I  wish  to  know 
where  Dr.  Latimer  is  at  present;  you  can  tell  me." 

Randolph  paused  an  instant  before  answering : 

"He  is  taking  his  vacation  and  cannot  be  dis 
turbed." 

The  woman's  brow  contracted. 

"I  know  he  is  on  one  of  the  islands  in  this  bay. 
I  learned  so  much  in  Boston.  I  must  see  him.  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  I  am  poor.  Please  do  not 
give  me  needless  trouble  in  finding  him.  You 
know  him,  my  dear,  I  see  it  in  your  eyes,"  she 
added  suddenly,  addressing  Vernon. 

Randolph,  taking  one  step  forward,  interposed 
his  broad  shoulder  between  them.  There  were 
signs  in  the  stranger's  face  which  made  such  fa 
miliarity  toward  Vernon  intolerable  to  him.  "  Go 
into  the  waiting-room,  please,"  he  said  to  the  girl, 


292  DR.  LATIMER. 

and  she  obeyed,  with  some  reluctance,  born  of  a 
dread  lest  Olin  should  not  be  kind  enough  to  this 
poor  creature. 

"Dr.  Latimer  is  very  much  fatigued  by  the  ex 
acting  work  in  which  he  engages  nearly  all  the 
year.  His  friends  are  trying  to  make  him  rest," 
said  Randolph  then. 

"I  must  and  will  see  him,"  returned  the  wo 
man  doggedly,  and  yet  with  a  certain  refinement 
of  pronunciation  and  manner  which  had  impressed 
Olin  from  the  first. 

"  Would  not  sending  a  message  by  me  do  ?  Or 
you  might  write  to  him." 

The  woman  gave  him  a  sullen  look.  "Well," 
she  said,  "I  have  a  sick  child  with  me  in  this  city. 
Give  me  a  dollar  to  get  medicine  now,  and  Dr. 
Latimer 's  address,  and  I  will  write  to  him  later." 

Randolph  reflected.  He  knew  that  if  he  con 
sented  he  would  be  giving  what  Emerson  styles  "  a 
wicked  dollar."  He  disbelieved  in  the  sick  child, 
and  strongly  suspected  that  the  money  was  wanted 
for  some  stimulant,  the  use  of  which  had  branded 
its  victim  with  its  marks;  but  by  bestowing  the 
money  he  would  certainly  be  buying  a  short  respite 
and  possibly  total  immunity  for  his  friend.  This 
whole  talk  might  have  been  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
obtaining  the  dollar  which,  without  further  hesita 
tion,  he  put  into  the  woman's  hand,  and  then 
started  to  move  on  as  though  ending  the  inter 
view. 

"  The  address !     Pray  give  it  to  me, "  she  begge^ 


AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK.  293 

excitedly.  "You  do  not  know  what  you  do  in  re 
fusing." 

He  turned  back  with  a  frown.  "Send  a  letter 
to  Dr.  Latimer  at  Orr's  Island,  care  of  Mr.  Amos 
Johnson,  and  he  will  get  it,"  he  answered  briefly. 
The  reply  was  truthful,  but  the  doctor's  island  was 
"a  beautiful  secret"  still. 

The  stranger's  eyes  glistened  with  satisfaction. 
She  had  received  money  to  satisfy  her  immediate 
craving,  and  she  knew  where  to  find  Dr.  Latimer 
when  she  wanted  him. 

Hastening  through  the  waiting-room  ahead  of 
her  benefactor,  she  disappeared  into  the  street  be 
yond. 

"Were  you  kind  to  her?  "  asked  Vernon  doubt 
fully,  as  Olin  approached. 

"I  don't  know.  I  did  the  best  I  could  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment." 

"How  strange  she  looked,"  said  the  girl,  "and 
how  could  she  know  your  name?  " 

"Probably  she  is  one  of  the  doctor's  flock  of 
black  sheep,  and  has  seen  me  with  him  somewhere. 
I  wish,  with  Persis,  that  they  would  let  him  alone 
a  little  while  in  the  year." 

Dismissing  the  stranger  from  their  minds,  the 
two  started  out  to  do  their  errands  in  the  quiet, 
shaded,  attractive  streets,  where  even  the  car- 
drivers  have  not  become  pessimistic,  and  the  con 
ductors  are  courteous  gentlemen. 

No  one  who  has  not  striven  in  the  babel-like 
shops  of  our  large  cities,  and  endured  their  scant 


294  DR.  LATIMER. 

courtesy,  can  appreciate  the  soothing  effects  of 
making  a  purchase  in  Portland.  Two  commodi 
ties  the  clerks  there  have  in  bewildering  abun 
dance,  —  namely,  time  and  temper.  Apparently 
they  do  not  consider  that  either  may  ever  be  lost. 
There  is  evidence  of  prosperity,  but  customers 
move  leisurely  about,  and  the  pleasant  young  wo 
man  behind  the  counter  takes  the  trouble  to  invite 
your  waiting  friend,  in  a  home-like  manner,  to 
"have  a  chair." 

On  the  counters  of  dry-goods  shops  stand  vases 
of  sweet-peas  and  nasturtiums.  There  is  no  con 
fusion,  no  noise.  It  is  ideal  shopping. 

Olin  and  Vernon,  yielding  pleasantly  to  the 
leisurely  current,  did  not  finish  their  list  of  er 
rands  and  their  early  supper  until  it  was  time  to 
catch  the  six  o'clock  boat.  They  were  moving 
down  the  street  toward  the  dock,  laden  as  to  arms 
and  light  as  to  hearts,  when,  at  sight  of  a  fruit- 
stand,  Vernon  uttered  an  exclamation  and  stood 
still. 

"We  have  forgotten  the  blueberries." 

"Berries,  miss?  "  asked  a  man,  coming  out  from 
the  store  to  which  the  stand  was  attached. 

"We  ought  to  take  them,  but  we  haven't  a 
hand,"  said  Vernon,  looking  up  at  Olin  with  per 
plexity. 

"How  many,  miss?"  asked  the  salesman. 

"Well,  two  quarts,"  hesitated  Vernon.  "I 
don't  see  how  we  can  carry  them." 

"'Always  room  for  one  more  '  may  hold  good 


AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK.  295 

in  this  case,''  remarked  her  companion  resignedly, 
taking  a  silver  coin  from  his  vest  pocket  with  two 
disengaged  fingers.  lie  wondered  what  certain  of 
his  Boston  acquaintances  would  think  could  they 
see  his  wealth  of  bundles. 

Vernon  began  to  laugh.  Skies  were  dark,  in 
deed,  when  Vernon  could  not  see  the  ludicrous 
side  of  circumstances,  and  she  was  at  that  age 
when  a  laugh  is  in  itself  an  enjoyment.  The 
good-natured  shopman  put  the  finishing  touch  to 
the  situation  when  he  briskly  twisted  the  top  of 
the  paper  bag  into  which  he  had  poured  the  ber 
ries. 

"Here,  ketch  it  right  by  the  snout,  now,"  he 
said  cheerfully  to  Olin,  who  closed  a  finger  about 
the  sympathetically  offered  handle  and  moved  off 
beside  Vernon,  whose  feelings  were  bubbling  over 
helplessly. 

Olin  had  not  forgotten  the  discordant  experi 
ence  of  the  morning,  and  when  he  reached  the 
waiting-room  he  looked  about  with  some  appre 
hension  for  the  persistent  stranger.  Not  until  the 
Chebeague  was  puffing  her  way  out  into  the  har 
bor  and  he  had  scanned  every  passenger  aboard 
did  he  accept  the  pleasant  certainty  that  the  black- 
eyed  woman  had  not  determined  upon  dogging 
their  movements  to  carry  out  her  purpose. 

"I  wouldn't  speak  to  the  doctor  of  our  en 
counter  this  morning,"  he  said,  then,  to  Vernon. 

"Oh,  of  that  woman  who  wanted  him?" 

"Yes.    I  gave  her  his  address.    That  is  enough. 


296  DR.  LATIMER. 

If  lie  knew  about  her  there  is  no  telling  what  he 
might  feel  called  upon  to  do.  We  will  keep  in 
truders  out  of  his  paradise  as  long  as  we  can." 

Meanwhile,  Helen,  coming  home  early  from  a 
walk  to  set  the  table  for  dinner  on  the  same  day, 
found  that  her  sister  had  gone  to  Portland  to  do 
some  necessary  errands  for  Persis. 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  an  idea  to  have  a  lobster  sup 
per  for  them  when  they  get  home  to-night?"  she 
suggested. 

"Why,  yes.  I  'd  just  as  lieves  to  as  not,"  re 
plied  Persis. 

"Mr.  Bruch  thinks  lobsters  are  'beautiful,'' 
laughed  Helen. 

"Well,  let's  give  him  all  he  can  eat,  then," 
said  Miss  Applebee  good-naturedly;  "that  is,  if 
we  can  get  'em.  Cap'n  Gregg  's  the  most  likely 
man  to  have  'em,  but  we  '11  have  to  get  the  doctor 
to  ask  him,  or  like  as  not  he  '11  say  we  can't  have 
'em  on  short  notice.  He  's  that  cross-grained. 
Cap'n  Gregg  and  me  's  pretty  good  friends  in 
his  way.  Once  —  I  shall  never  forget  —  I  come 
down  from  Portland  in  a  pour  in'  rain,  and  when  I 
got  to  the  dock  Cap'n  Amos  and  Dave  wan't 
there.  I  would  n't  a-cared  only  I  was  just  loaded 
down  with  bundles.  Cap'n  Gregg  happened 
along  and  see  the  fix  I  was  in.  'Lay  down  them 
things  in  the  shed,'  says  he,  gruff  as  a  bear,  'and 
go  'long.  I  '11  be  up  with  'em  in  a  little  while/ 
I  thanked  him,  and  put  'em  down,  and  started, 
but  before  I  'd  got  far  I  thought,  thinkses  I,  '1 


AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK.  297 

might  just  as  well  take  one  or  two  o'  them  things,' 
and  I  turned  back.  He  glared  at  me,  and  I  says, 
'shan't  I  take' — but  he  pointed  his  finger  up 
the  hill  and  says  he,  '  Go  home  !  '  He  just  bel- 
lered  it,  as  if  I  was  a  dog.  I  laughed  all  the  way 
home.  That 's  Cap'n  Gregg  when  he  's  got  on 
his  comp'ny  manners.  And  swear!  There  ain't 
such  another  swearer  on  the  island.  He  's  cooled 
down  on  that  some  since  he  's  known  Dr.  Lat- 
imer.  We  '11  see  if  the  doctor  '11  go  up  there  for 
us." 

It  proved  that  the  doctor  would,  and  as  Jose 
phine  wished  to  accompany  him  the  two  set  forth 
soon  after  dinner. 

"Captain  Gregg  is  rather  a  rough  customer," 
he  said,  as  they  walked  along.  "I  cannot  prom 
ise  you  a  gracious  reception.  He  thinks  women 
are  a  mistake." 

"How  interesting  it  would  be  to  convert  him!  ' 
returned  the  girl. 

"I  am  afraid  even  you  could  not  do  that,  my 
Josephine." 

"Then  I  will  be  content  simply  to  be  enter 
tained  by  him." 

"That  you  will  be  in  a  fashion.  There  he  is 
now." 

Josephine  looked  and  saw  a  rough,  grizzled  old 
man  standing  bareheaded  outside  a  cottage  door. 
He  lowered  his  shaggy  eyebrows  as  the  visitors 
approached,  and  to  Dr.  Latimer's  greeting  re 
turned  a  surly  grunt. 


298  DIl.  LATIN ER. 

"I  'm  looking  for  lobsters,  captain,"  announced 
the  doctor. 

"Who's  that  woman?"  asked  the  old  man 
curtly,  fixing  disapproving  eyes  on  Josephine. 

"Miss  Ivison.  And  this  is  Captain  Gregg, 
Miss  Ivison." 

"Tell  her  she  can  go  in  and  set  down,"  growled 
the  host,  contemptuously  disregarding  the  little 
bow  which  Josephine  ventured  to  send  in  his  direc 
tion. 

"I  think  we  won't  wait  to-day,  thank  you.  Can 
we  get"  — 

"Why  didn't  ye  tell  me  yesterday  'f  ye  wanted 
lawbsters?" 

"We  didn't  know  it.  We  have  a  German 
friend  with  us  who  considers  our  shellfish  a  great 
luxury.  We  thought  we  would  give  a  lobster 
supper  at  the  cottage  to-night." 

"How  many  did  ye  want?" 

"About  a  dozen." 

Captain  Gregg  started  to  say  something,  but 
swallowed  the  words  with  a  herculean  effort  which 
bore  witness  to  their  size  and  heat.  Dr.  Latimer, 
well  knowing  their  appalling  nature,  was  not  sur 
prised  at  the  extra  acerbity  thrown  into  the  host's 
next  sentence. 

"Well,  twelve  lawbsters  ain't  goin'  to  walk  out 
o'  the  sea  at  the  biddin'  of  any  Dutchman.  He  '11 
have  to  wait,  I  guess." 

"Then  you  have  n't  them.  Very  well.  I  may 
find  them  somewhere  on  the  island.  Good"  — 


AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK.  299 

"Hold  awn  a  minute.  I '11  go  in  and  see  how 
many  I  have  got.  She  stayin'  at  your  place?" 
jerking  his  thumb  toward  Josephine. 

"Yes.  This  lady  is  going  to  be  my  wife,  cap 
tain." 

"Thedev" —  Another  laborious  swallow  en 
gulfed  the  remainder  of  the  ejaculation,  and  even 
Captain  Gregg's  surly  scowl  cleared  away  as  he 
looked  into  Dr.  Latimer's  eyes.  Then  he  turned 
with  a  stare  of  grudging  curiosity  toward  Jose 
phine,  who  smiled  involuntarily. 

"Won't  you  wish  me  joy?"  she  said,  to  break 
the  silence. 

"Wish  ye  joy?  Ye  're  goin'  to  marry  him,  and 
yit,  as  if  that  wan't  enough,  ye  want  me  to  wish 
ye  joy  !  "  he  returned  fiercely.  "I  never  saw  a 
woman  'twas  sat'sfied  yit.  Ye  can't  sat'sfy  'em." 

After  this  interview  it  was  more  to  Josephine's 
surprise  than  the  doctor's  that  the  old  man  pro 
duced  eleven  lobsters,  eight  of  them  aggressively 
alive,  and  three  of  them  a  vivid  red. 

"I  didn't  cal'late  to  boil  to-day,  but  it  jest 
happened  so;  ye  can  take  'em  all  along." 

"But  I  don't  want  to  rob  you  of  your  supper," 
protested  Dr.  Latimer.  "I  can"  - 

"Take  'em,  I  say,"  interrupted  the  other, 
roughly. 

Many  hands  make  light  work,  and  soon  after 
eight  o'clock,  when  Vernon  and  Olin  entered  the 
cottage,  the  lobsters  had  been  boiled,  shelled,  and 
the  tough  parts  of  them  chopped.  The  table  was 


SCO  DE.  LATIMER. 

ornamented  with  large  platters  of  the  meat,  gar 
nished  around  the  edges  with  red  claws,  and  sev 
eral  plates  of  thin  bread  and  butter  peeped  from 
snowy,  enfolding  napkins. 

The  two  families  were  assembled  and  waiting. 

"We  didn't  think  you  'd  ever  come,"  exclaimed 
Dickie,  as  the  wayfarers  presented  themselves. 

"Why  did  we  eat  anything  in  Portland?"  de 
manded  Vernon  tragically,  of  her  companion,  after 
one  look  at  the  appetizing  spread  embellished  by 
the  steaming  pots  of  tea  and  coffee  which  Persis 
now  brought  in  from  the  kitchen. 

"If  you  knew  what  Dr.  Latimer  and  I  went 
through  to  get  this  for  you,"  said  Josephine,  as 
they  all  seated  themselves. 

"Josephine  went  with  me  to  Captain  Gregg's," 
explained  Dr.  Latimer. 

"Oh,  then  Miss  Josephine  has  met  the  island 
Chesterfield,"  said  Olin. 

"Yes;  he  was  in  one  of  his  most  amiable  moods 
to-day,  fortunately." 

"He  was  !"  exclaimed  the  girl;  "then  that  de 
cides  me.  I  shall  not  visit  him  again.  Are  you 
sure  you  paid  him  right,  doctor?  Twenty  -  five 
cents  for  eleven  lobsters? " 

Dr.  Latimer  smiled.  "That  is  the  market  price. 
It  would  have  been  impossible  to  induce  him  to 
accept  more." 

"Indeed,  if  the  doctor  had  offered  him  more," 
remarked  Olin,  "  it  is  highly  probable  the  captain 
would  have  forgotten  his  Turveydrop  deportment. 


AT  THE  PORTLAND  DOCK.  301 

How  do  you  like  the  lobster,  Bruch?  This  dress 
ing  Persis  makes  is  fine,  isn't  it?" 

"It  is  a  dream!"  pronounced  the  German,  with 
devout  enthusiasm. 

UA  dream  now,"  said  Agnes.  "Perchance  in 
the  small  hours  a  nightmare." 

She  spoke  gayly.  For  her,  in  this  company, 
any  feast  would  have  been  ambrosial.  The  moon, 
sailing  high  in  heaven,  looked  down  on  myriad 
homes  to-night,  but  upon  none  where  happier  souls 
were  gathered  than  those  now  clustering  in  shadow- 
less  content  about  the  Sea  Shell  table. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE   CABLE   MESSAGE. 

DR.  LATIMER  having  declared  himself  obliged 
to  take  another  trip  to  Boston,  Persis  looked  to 
Josephine  to  prevent  it,  but  the  arguments  he 
brought  forward,  whatever  they  were,  proved 
silencing  to  the  objections  of  his  fiancee,  and  the 
doctor  departed  by  the  six  o'clock  boat  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning. 

Josephine  made  Persis  lie  in  bed,  and  herself 
went  down  and  made  his  cup  of  coffee  and  walked 
with  him  to  the  landing  through  the  thrilling  radi 
ance  of  that  early  sunshine. 

She  laughed  at  herself  as  she  returned,  for  the 
loneliness  and  emptiness  that  seemed  to  have  set 
tled  upon  the  landscape,  and  her  heart  went  out 
after  the  beloved  form  which  each  moment  was 
bearing  farther  from  her. 

"I  must  not  be  so  selfish.  I  must  try  to  change 
and  become  more  like  him,"  she  thought  hum 
bly,  "or  I  shall  never  be  worthy  to  share  his 
life." 

"Is  Isola  Bella  a  desert  isle,  my  dear?" 
laughed  Agnes,  when,  later  in  the  morning,  they 
met.  "You  ?x>ok  as  though  you  were  abiding  by 


THE  CABLE  MESSAGE.  303 

an  iron  resolution  to  be  cheerful.  I  believe  the 
doctor  is  to  be  gone  two  days,  isn't  he?  " 

"Not  any  longer  than  that,"  admitted  Josephine, 
laughing,  too,  and  coloring  rather  shamefacedly. 

"Well,  I  am  going  to  make  the  most  of  his 
absence,"  said  Miss  Norman.  "Let  us  take  the 
kodak  and  get  some  fresh  views.  Vernoii  has  per 
suaded  me  into  adding  my  consent  to  yours  that 
she  should  sail  over  to  Ragged  Island  with  Olin 
and  Dickie;  Helen  is  going  to  sing  with  her  im 
provised  kindergarten,  and  we  will  take  Mr. 
Bruch  with  us." 

This  programme  was  carried  out,  and  it  was 
about  half  past  eleven  when  Persis,  standing  arms 
akimbo  on  the  piazza  watching  a  number  of  porgie 
boats  which  were  pursuing  a  course  unusually  near 
the  shore,  saw  Helen  come  sauntering  around  the 
corner  of  the  house,  a  letter  in  her  hand. 

"See  there,"  said  Miss  Applebee,  nodding  her 
head  toward  the  unpicturesque  fleet.  "How  plain 
you  can  see  the  man  up  there  in  the  front  riggin', 
watchin'  for  fish." 

The  girl  came  and  stood  beside  her,  and  they 
gazed  for  a  while  at  the  boat's  manoeuvres. 

"What  you  got  there?"  asked  Persis  at  last. 

"Well,  I  will  say,  this  island  hasn't  lost  all  its 
primitiveness  yet,"  returned  the  girl.  "I  met  the 
eleven  o'clock  boat,  knowing  you  were  looking  for 
an  express  package,  and  after  they  had  loaded  and 
unloaded  their  freight,  human  and  otherwise,  somf 
one  on  the  boat  shouted :  — 


304  DE.  LATIMER. 

"'  Anybody  hereto  take  a  telegram  to  Dr.  Lati- 
mer?  '  I  did  n't  answer  at  once,  and  the  steamer 
was  actually  pulling  away  before  I  gathered  wits 
enough  to  call  out  that  I  would,  and  then  this  was 
flung  ashore.  Now,  supposing  there  had  been  no 
body  there  to  take  it." 

"Why,  'twould  have  gone  back  to  Portland, 
prob'bly,"  replied  Persis  calmly.  "The  steam 
boat  company  ain't  paid  to  bring  telegrams. 
They  just  do  it  to  accommodate.  I  wonder  what 
'tis." 

"It  seems  to  be  a  repeated  cable  message,"  said 
Helen,  regarding  the  envelope.  "That  was  what 
made  the  method  of  delivery  so  striking.  To 
think  that  some  one  was  at  the  expense  of  cabling 
to  the  doctor  from  Europe,  and  then  that  he  might 
not  have  received  it  !  " 

"Oh,  he'd  a-got  it  all  right  in  the  end,  but 
there  might  a-been  some  delay."  Miss  Applebee 
took  the  envelope  as  Helen  offered  it.  "Once  on 
a  time,  Miss  Helen,"  she  said  impressively,  "Dr. 
Latimer,  that  great  and  good  man,  had  an  enemy, 
and  if  't  wan't  that  she  's  dead  as  a  door-nail  it 
would  give  me  the  shakes  all  over  to  hold  this  bit 
o'  paper  in  my  hand,  'cause  of  late  years  she  lived 
in  Europe.  She  come  from  there  in  the  first 
place,  and  that 's  reason  enough  why  the  land  o' 
the  free  and  the  home  o'  the  brave  's  good  enough 
for  me,  and  always  will  be  to  my  dyin'  day.  As 
't  is,  I  guess  I  better  open  this,  'cause,  may  be, 
it  '11  be  best  to  telegraph  to  Boston  to  the  doctor." 


THE  CABLE  MESSAGE.  305 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Persis  tore  open 
the  envelope,  and,  unfolding  the  message,  re 
garded  it  with  a  studious  expression.  She 
frowned,  looked  puzzled ;  then  suddenly  an  indig 
nant  color  overspread  her  face. 

"The  impudence!  "  she  ejaculated.  "I  didn't 
know  the  doctor  had  an  enemy  left  in  the  world, 
and  here  's  some  fool  that  hain't  got  sense  enough 
to  even  know  how  to  spell,  insults  him  from  'way 
across  the  water." 

"Oh,  it  can't  be,"  returned  Helen,  incredu 
lously. 

"It's  so,  I  say.  He  tells  the  doctor  he's  a 
kind  of  a  crank.  See  ?  I  've  got  a  great  mind  to 
throw  the  thing  in  the  fire  and  never  say  one  word 
about  it.  It 's  below  noticin'." 

Helen  bent  her  head  curiously  over  the  paper. 

"Kinder  krank,"  she  murmured,  puzzled. 
"Kinder  krank;  "  then  she  flung  up  her  hand  with 
a  start.  "Kinder  Jcrank!  "  she  exclaimed,  with  a 
change  of  pronunciation  and  tone.  "Persis,"  with 
unreasoning  intuition,  "it  is  for  Mr.  Bruch.  It 
is  German.  It  means  children  sick,  and  it  means 
his  children.  They  must  be  very  ill  or  the  aunt 
would  not  have  cabled,  for  they  are  poor.  What 
shall  we  do?"  The  speaker  looked  around  appre 
hensively,  as  though  fearing  the  professor's  genial 
face  might  appear  from  some  unexpected  source. 

"Forever!  "  ejaculated  Persis,  aghast,  looking 
from  the  paper  to  Helen's  wide,  shocked  eyes  and 
back  again.  "Ain't  it  a  mistake?  I  don't  see 


306  DR.  LATIMER. 

how  you'make  'children  sick  '  out  o'  that;  besides, 
what  is  it  sent  to  Dr.  Latimer  for,  if  you  're 
right?" 

"  It  is  plain  that  the  doctor  must  have  permitted 
Mr.  Bruch  to  use  his  cable  address.  Oh,  Persis, 
who  is  going  to  tell  him?"  Helen  sank  into  a 
piazza-chair  and  turned  pale. 

"I  can't,"  returned  Miss  Applebee,  panic- 
stricken.  "It  draws  the  sweat  out  o'  me  only  to 
think  of  it." 

All  that  was  emotional  in  the  housekeeper's  na 
ture  had  been  touched  by  the  German's  affection 
ate  longing  for  his  little  ones,  and  she  shared  the 
strong  liking  which  every  one  who  knew  him  felt 
for  the  simple,  lovable  man. 

"If  only  Dr.  Latimer  were  here,"  groaned 
Helen. 

"Yes,  I  did  think  the  island  could  run  a  day  or 
two  without  him,"  returned  Persis  dismally,  "but 
that 's  always  the  way." 

"The  worst  of  it  is  it  can't  be  put  off.  I'll 
tell  you,  Persis,"  with  returning  energy.  "Jose 
phine  is  the  one  to  do  it.  She  was  his  first  friend 
here  and  she  must  do  it." 

"  Well,  now,  just  don't  say  one  word  till  din 
ner  's  over,"  advised  Persis.  "Give  him  a  chance 
to  get  a  good  meal  o'  vittles  down  and  he  '11 
stand  it  better.  Poor  feller,  I  pity  him  from  the 
very  bottom  o'  my  heart." 

This  sentiment  was  echoed  by  Josephine  when 
she  returned  and  the  bad  news  was  told  her. 


THE  CABLE  MESSAGE.  307 

"You  had  better  be  the  one  to  break  it,"  de 
clared  Helen. 

"Must  I?"  asked  her  sister,  shrinking.  "It  is 
a  cruel  message,"  she  added  with  rising  indigna 
tion.  "They  should  have  said  either  more  or  less, 
when  it  is  so  far  away." 

"Oh,  my  dear,  that  is  what  tells  the  story  to 
me,"  returned  Helen,  feelingly.  "Don't  think  a 
word  of  blame  of  that  poor  aunt.  She  is  break 
ing  something  as  carefully  as  she  can  to  Mr. 
Bruch." 

"You  don't  think" —  Josephine  paused  and 
regarded  her  sister  with  horror-stricken  eyes. 

"Oh,  I  think  it  means  something  very,  very 
sad,"  returned  the  other,  her  voice  wavering. 
They  were  at  the  dinner-table  and  Helen  could  eat 
nothing,  though  she  played  with  her  knife  and 
fork  and  made  pretense.  The  Ragged  Island 
party  had  taken  their  lunch  with  them,  so  Per  sis 
and  the  girls  were  alone  this  noon. 

"Well,  if  I  must  I  must,"  replied  Josephine, 
thinking  of  Dr.  Latimer  and  trying  to  nerve  her 
self  by  contemplation  of  his  intrepid  spirit. 

"Be  sure  you  don't  let  him  suppose  that  we  feel 
hopeless,"  said  Helen  warningly. 

"No,  I  won't,"  was  Josephine's  docile  reply. 

"How  do  you  think  you  will  begin,  dear?" 
asked  her  sister,  regarding  her  anxiously. 

"I  '11  tell  you  what  you  might  do,"  suggested  the 
housekeeper  sympathetically.  "You  might  begin 
talkin'  about  its  bein'  a  sickly  season  in  Germany, 


308  DE.  LATIMEE. 

and  then  say  how  surprisin'  't  was  there  was  so 
few  deaths  in  spite  of  it,  and  talk  along  that  way 
awhile  and  at  last  fetch  out  the  message." 

"I  don't  believe  I  can  let  any  one  do  it  but 
me,"  exclaimed  Plelen  nervously. 

"You  are  not  fit  to,  my  child,"  returned  Jose 
phine  decidedly.  "You  have  wrought  yourself 
up  over  it  until  you  are  as  white  as  a  ghost,  and 
your  face  would  be  enough  to  scare  him  to  death 
in  the  first  place." 

"Then  I  '11  —  I  '11  look  better,"  returned  Helen, 
meekly,  plucking  at  her  cheeks  to  bring  some  color 
into  them.  "Give  me  some  tea,  Persis,  and  I 
will  eat  something." 

"Why  won't  you  let  me,  Helen?"  asked  Jose 
phine,  surprised. 

"Because,  no  matter  how  you  did  it,  I  should 
see  him  suffer,  and  then  I  should  always  believe 
afterward  that  I  could  have  done  it  better.  I  — 
I  don't  know  as  I  can  make  you  understand"  — 
gulping  down  a  swallow  of  tea  with  determination, 
"but  I  —  would  rather  hurt  him  myself  than  have 
anybody  else  do  it." 

Josephine  gazed  at  her  sister  unobserved,  and 
then  let  her  wondering  glance  rove  to  Persis ;  but 
that  good  soul's  unimaginative  and  troubled  coun 
tenance  did  not  change. 

"You  are  such  a  bewilderingly  unselfish  girl, 
Helen,  that  the  usual  calculations  will  not  bring 
the  answer  to  problems  where  you  are  concerned. 
I  don't  know  whether  to  allow  you  to  have  your 
way  or  not." 


THE  CABLE  MESSAGE.  309 

"My  mind  is  made  up,"  returned  Helen  quietly, 
and  she  pushed  her  chair  back  from  the  table. 

Persis  shook  her  head  and  sighed  as  the  girl 
went  out  of  the  door.  From  her  seat  she  could 
see  Helen  walk  to  the  edge  of  the  bluff  and  stand 
waiting  for  Mr.  Bruch  to  emerge  from  the  Nauti 
lus. 

At  this  moment  Miss  Charlotte  was  pressing 
upon  her  guest  a  second  cup  of  coffee,  but  the 
German  shook  his  head. 

"Thanks,  no,"  he  replied,  "I  have  had  com- 
pletela  enough."  Then  he  caught  sight  of  Helen, 
who  had  been  careful  to  station  herself  where  this 
was  possible. 

"There  is  Helen,"  observed  Miss  Agnes. 
"  Go  and  talk  to  her,  Mr.  Bruch,  while  we  put 
things  to  rights  here." 

So  in  another  minute  the  professor  approached 
the  girl,  whose  heart  rose  and  beat  in  her  throat 
as  he  came  near. 

"You  are  looking  over  to  Ragged  Island,  to  try 
to  see  your  sister,  yes?"  he  said. 

"Oh,  I  am  quite  easy  about  her.  Mr.  Ran 
dolph  is  a  good  sailor,  and  a  much  poorer  one 
could  navigate  safely  on  a  day  like  this,"  answered 
Helen,  keeping  her  eyes  still  fixed  on  the  distant 
rocky  shore.  "What  have  you  on  hand  for  this 
afternoon,  Mr.  Bruch?" 

"Nothing  whatever,  and  what  is  your  plan?" 

"I  thought  of  walking  down  toward  Little  Har 
bor,"  returned  Helen,  her  heart  sinking  again, 


310  DR.  LATIMEE. 

down,  down,  indefinitely  under  the  genial,  kindly 
gaze  bent  upon  her. 

"May  I  follow,  or  is  your  mood  one  for  soli 
tude?"' 

"I  should  like  your  company,"  she  answered 
faintly.  " Shall  we  walk  on  now?" 

"Unless  the  sun  is  too  hot  for  you.  You  are  a 
little  pale,  it  seems  to  me." 

"You  are  too  bad  to  amuse  yourself  at  my  ex 
pense,"  she  answered,  shaking  her  head  with  an 
effort  at  gayety.  "We  are  all  so  brown  that  to 
look  pale  would  be  impossible.  Let  us  go." 

They  turned  toward  the  southern  end  of  the 
island. 

' '  Across  the  russet  pastures  to  the  sea 
Their  pathway  led  ;  in  buoyant  sunlit  air 
The  blue  waves  flashed,  rough' d  by  the  north  wind's  glee, 
And  leaped  in  foam,  where  the  black  reef  lay  bare." 

But  Helen  turned  away  from  the  water  and  led 
the  way  toward  Eose  Lane.  Mr.  Bruch's  kindly 
intuitions  told  him,  as  he  moved  along  beside  her, 
that  some  anxiety  lay  at  his  companion's  heart. 
He  feared  that,  despite  her  denials,  she  was  not 
easy  concerning  Vernon.  In  silence  he  waited 
her  pleasure  to  speak  while  they  passed  through 
the  narrowing  lane  until  — 

"  Beyond,  the  pathway  threaded  out  and  in 
Through  a  young-spreading  growth  of  fir  and  spruce, 
Wherein  the  wind  sang  softly,  and  wherein 
The  sweet  sun-extracts  from  the  resinous  juice 
Filled  all  the  air.     The  tree-tops  pricked  the  blue ; 
On  either  side  the  branches  shut  them  in. 
Where  was  the  sea  ?  " 


THE  CABLE  MESSAGE.  311 

The  German  looked  at  his  companion.  "What 
solemn,  quiet  shade  we  find,"  he  said. 

"  Yes, "  answered  the  girl.  "  We  might  be  a  hun 
dred  miles  inland,  for  all  sign  the  ocean  sends  here 
on  a  day  like  this."  The  stillness  of  the  wood 
was  suddenly  broken  by  a  glad  burst  of  melody. 

"  The  bird  that  upward  flew 

Was  not  the  white-winged  gull,  that  o'er  the  din 
Of  the  loud  breakers  wheeled  and  flashed,  but  brown 
And  small.     His  hurried,  gay  cadenza,  flung 
In  a  glad  rush  from  boughs  above  them,  down, 
Was  of  green  fields  and  sun-warmed  valleys  sung  — 
Of  his  shy  partner  and  his  meadow  nest ; 
Not  of  the  wide  horizon  of  the  sea  :  — 
Small  vistas,  little  pleasures,  evening  rest  — 
Not  of  immensity  —  eternity  !  " 

"Let  us  stay  here  a  while,"  suggested  Helen, 
turning  out  of  the  path  and  finding  her  way  among 
the  trees,  until  in  a  little  clearing  she  seated  her 
self  upon  a  carpet  of  pine  needles. 

The  professor  followed  her  example.  "Here 
we  have  evidence  of  our  environment,"  he  said, 
picking  up  the  empty  shell  of  a  sea-urchin  and 
holding  toward  Helen  the  pretty  purple  thing, 
with  its  exquisite  symmetry  of  lace-work  broken 
at  one  side. 

"Yes,"  returned  the  girl.  "The  cables  fly  up 
with  them  from  the  shore  and  drop  them  from  a 
height  to  break  the  shell,  and  then  come  down  and 
eat  them  at  their  leisure." 

"The  — what  sort  of  bird?  "asked  Mr.  Bruch 
seriously. 


312  DE.  LATIMEE. 

"The  crows  —  those  big  black  birds.  You  must 
have  seen  many  of  them  since  you  came." 

"Ah,  yes;  I  understood  you  to  say  a  different 
word." 

"I  meant  crows,"  replied  Helen  nervously. 
"There  is  one  now,"  as  the  faint,  harsh  cry 
sounded  on  the  air. 

"I  should  like  to  send  some  of  these  pretty 
things  to  the  little  ones,"  said  the  German  mus 
ingly,  turning  the  shell  over  in  his  hand. 

Helen's  throat  felt  dry.  "Yes,"  she  answered. 
"  Vernon  is  making  a  collection  now  for  some  chil 
dren  in  the  hospital." 

Then  she  bit  her  lip  and  felt  that  she  had  said 
a  dreadful  thing. 

Bruch,  looking  up,  was  struck  by  the  expression 
of  her  eyes.  "She  is  frightened  about  Vernon," 
he  thought  more  decidedly  than  before.  Knowing 
her  ready  sympathy  and  the  kindly  interest  she 
had  always  shown  in  his  children,  he  could  not 
think  of  anything  more  diverting  for  the  moment 
than  to  continue  on  the  subject. 

"The  little  ones  are  about  going  to  bed  now," 
he  said  with  innocent  quiet.  "I  do  not  forget 
that  time  of  the  day  when  I  take  one  upon  each 
arm  in  their  little  white  gowns  and  tell  them  a 
last  story.  Ewald  was  always  for  bears  and  lions, 
but  Mina  likes  best  the  fairies  of  the  forest.  If 
you  could  look  into  the  Mina's  eyes,  Miss  Helen, 
you  would  say  that  no  flower  is  bluer,  no  water  is 
clearer,  no  star  brighter;  and  the  Ewald  is  a 


THE  CABLE  MESSAGE.  313 

strong  and  brave  boy.  The  poor  teacher  is  not  so 
poor,  after  all."  lie  sent  a  smile  toward  Helen, 
listening  with  parted  lips  and  spell-bound  gaze. 

''Let  us  see  what  hour  it  is  with  them  now,"  he 
added,  drawing  out  the  silver  watch  which  had 
consoled  the  exile  in  so  many  crises  of  loneliness. 
He  looked  at  it  and  his  brow  contracted.  "  Eh, 
what  is  this?  The  watch  stops.  It  is  a  thing 
which  never  happened  to  me  before." 

A  little  chill  crept  over  Helen,  and  the  spell  of 
her  silence  was  broken.  "No,  no,"  she  cried, 
vehemently,  coming  closer  to  him  and  leaning  for 
ward  to  see.  "It  can't  have  stopped!  " 

"  It  must  be  more  than  two  hours  that  it  does 
not  go,"  returned  the  professor,  perplexed  and 
amazed. 

"You  must  have  calculated  wrong,"  said  Helen 
desperately.  "Shake  it.  Something  has  just 
caught." 

Mr.  Bruch  obediently  shook  the  watch,  and  his 
companion  shook  it  in  her  own  trembling  hand. 
Its  wheels  moved  feebly  and  again  became  inert. 

Helen  tried  heroically  to  control  her  own  panic. 
She  felt  as  though  in  a  nightmare,  and  wished  de 
voutly  that  she  had  not  officiously  taken  upon  her 
self  a  service  to  which  she  was  proving  shamefully 
unequal.  Struggle  as  she  might  she  could  not 
prevent  the  overflow  of  two  tears  of  whose  passage 
she  was  unconscious,  but  her  companion  saw  them. 

"You  are  nervous  to-day,  Miss  Helen,"  he  said 
gently,  while  a  flush  mounted  to  his  face,  for  the 


314  DE.   LAT1MER. 

girl's  disproportionate  sympathy,  though  astonish 
ing,  was  very  sweet  to  the  lone  man. 

"I  am,  Mr.  Bruch,"  she  answered,  looking  at 
him  with  eyes  as  clear  and  innocent  as  his  Mina's 
own.  "I  have  come  here  this  afternoon  on  pur 
pose  to  tell  you  something  that  it  will  be  hard  for 
you  to  hear." 

The  German  returned  her  gaze  with  peculiar 
steadiness,  and  a  flush  mounted  slowly  to  his  fore 
head. 

"You  will  marry,  yes?  "  he  said  briefly. 

A  fleeting  surprise  shone  in  the  girl's  troubled 
eyes.  "No,  no,  you  do  not  understand  me,"  she 
answered,  with  a  quick  shake  of  the  head.  "I 
hope,  Mr.  Bruch,  the  news  may  not  mean  that 
there  is  any  great  cause  for  anxiety,  but  I  have 
learned  that  your  children  are  ill." 

The  other's  expression  changed  suddenly. 
"The  little  ones?  How  could  you  hear?  " 

"By  this."  Helen  held  out  the  telegram.  "I 
have  not  kept  it  from  you  long.  It  came  to-day." 

With  a  frown  on  his  suddenly  pale  face  her 
companion  studied  the  message.  The  girl  noted 
the  manner  in  which  he  caught  between  his  teeth 
the  lip  that  would  quiver  and  she  knew  that  the 
course  of  reasoning  which  had  appealed  to  her  was 
intensified  to  the  stricken  father-heart. 

It  seemed  to  her  a  long  time  that  the  forest 
quiet  remained  unbroken,  but  it  was  scarcely  half 
a  minute  before  the  German  said,  "  I  go  to  them ;  M 
and  folded  the  cruel  bit  of  paper. 


THE  CABLE  MESSAGE.  315 

"Oh,  Mr.  Bruch,  think  well  over  it,"  urged 
Helen,  looking  at  him  with  her  sympathetic  heart 
in  her  eyes.  "First  thoughts  are  not  always  best, 
and  it  is  such  a  long  journey."  She  shrunk  from 
suggesting  more  explicitly  that  his  arrival  might 
come  too  late. 

The  professor  met  her  pleading  gaze  bravely. 
"I  know  what  you  would  say  if  you  dared,  my 
dear  lady,"  he  replied  unsteadily,  "but  the  jour 
ney  home  is  one  which  I  make  in  any  case  before 
I  determine  if  I  settle  in  America.  This  sends  me 
sooner,  and  perhaps  if  I  waste  no  time  God  is  so 
good  to  let  me  find  the  little  ones." 

"Then  go,  go,"  returned  the  girl,  the  tears 
streaming  down  her  cheeks,  "and  we  shall  think 
of  you  every  day  and  hope  and  pray  that  the  chil 
dren  will  get  well  —  or  if  —  if  they  do  not,  that  you 
may  have  strength  given  you  to  bear  it." 

The  German  took  the  hands  she  stretched  out 
to  him  in  a  strong  clasp.  "God  is  good  to  me 
already,  "he  said  thickly,  "that  He  gives  me  your 
friendship.  I  think  He  does  not  refuse  what  you 
ask  Him.  Will  you  pray  for  the  little  ones?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  girl,  keeping  her  full  eyes 
appealingly  on  his  pale  face,  "and  most  of  all  for 
you  that  you  may  be  able  to  bear  whatever  comes. 
You  will  write  to  —  Dr.  Latimer?  We  shall  be 
so  anxious  to  hear." 

"May  I  write  to  you?  "  asked  Bruch  simply. 

"I  shall  -be  very  glad  if  you  write  to  me,"  re 
turned  the  girl. 


316  DR.  LATIMER. 

They  stood  a  moment  more  with  searching  look 
into  one  another's  white  faces. 

"I  go  now,"  said  the  German,  at  last. 

"Leave  me  here,"  returned  Helen. 

He  bowed  his  head  above  the  hands  he  was  clasp 
ing  and  kissed  first  one  and  then  the  other. 

"Auf  wiedersehen, "  he  murmured,  with  a  last 
yearning  gaze,  then  hurried  away  without  a  back 
ward  look. 

Helen  sank  down  trembling  upon  the  pine  nee 
dles.  For  a  long  time  she  lay  there,  her  face  in 
her  hands,  trying  to  think,  trying  to  fulfill  her 
promise  to  pray,  while  her  imagination,  escaping 
control,  fluttered  from  scenes  just  past  to  scenes 
future,  with  a  strange  intermingling  of  joy,  ap 
prehension,  compassion,  and  anxiety.  She  saw  the 
solitary  figure  of  her  friend  facing  the  wide  ex 
panse  of  water  from  the  steamer's  deck,  his  long 
ings  traveling  faster  than  the  white -winged  birds 
toward  strong,  brave  Ewald  and  the  clear-eyed 
Mina,  whose  forest  fairies  seemed  now  whispering 
hopes  and  fears  in  the  fragrant  silence  that  lay 
about  her. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE   THUNDERING   HOLE. 

BY  good  fortune  Mr.  Bruch  and  Dr.  Latimer 
did  not  miss  one  another  in  Boston,  and  when  the 
latter  returned  he  was  able  to  respond  to  the 
friendly  inquiries  concerning  the  German's  move 
ments  in  a  manner  which  gave  special  comfort  to 
Helen.  Since  Dr.  Latimer  had  been  at  hand  to 
provide  and  advise  and  arrange  and  sanction,  she 
could  surely  rest  now  in  the  thought  that  all  which 
human  prudence  could  devise  had  been  well  done, 
and  there  was  nothing  left  to  do  but  to  wait  in 
patience  for  a  letter. 

To  Josephine's  queries  as  to  how  she  had  per^ 
formed  her  task  of  informing  Mr.  Bruch,  Helen 
gave  a  satisfactory  though  general  reply,  and  after 
one  night  of  going  to  bed  early  on  the  plea  of  head 
ache,  she  appeared  precisely  as  before  to  the  eyes 
of  her  sisters.  She  told  them  nothing  of  the  little 
boy  who  was  "all  for  bears  and  lions,"  or  of  Mina's 
cornflower  eyes.  These  details  were  a  part  of  that 
certainty  which  had  reached  her  among  the  pines, 
—  a  certainty  which  had  come  to  her  heart  wrhile 
it  was  aching  and  made  its  sensitiveness  more  keen. 
She  trie-d  not  to  envy  the  radiant,  prosperous  Jo- 


318  DR.  LATIMER. 

sephine  or  merry  Vernon,  and  found  comfort,  like 
the  faithful,  sensible  soul  she  was,  in  working  more 
earnestly  to  fill  the  cup  of  others,  finding  therein 
the  happiness  which  comes  with  richest  fullness  to 
those  who  seek  it  not. 

Perhaps  none  of  the  summer  party  expressed 
more  feeling  for  the  absent  professor  than  Olin, 
and  his  heartfelt  manner  of  repeating  "Poor  old 
Bruch  "  conveyed,  in  its  variations  of  tone  but  un 
varying  sincerity,  a  sympathy  which  unconsciously 
gained  him  many  a  kindness  from  Helen,  whose 
silent  approbation  was  so  sweet  that  had  it  been 
long  continued  it  might  have  caused  Vernon 's 
gayety  to  be  again  imperiled. 

But  comments,  prognostications,  and  doubts  con 
cerning  father  and  children  soon  ceased  to  be  the 
chief  subject  of  conversation  on  the  cliff,  and  life 
moved  on  as  before. 

One  morning  soon  after  the  doctor's  return,  a 
gale  having  lashed  the  water  into  tumult,  it  was 
suggested  that  all  should  walk  to  the  southern  end 
of  the  island  to  visit  the  natural  cave  in  the  rock, 
known  as  the  Thundering  Hole. 

The  way  led  through  that  very  path  to  the  sea 
which  Helen  had  last  trod  with  Mr.  Bruch,  and 
the  expedition  was  timed  so  as  to  reach  the  goal  as 
the  tide  turned  to  go  out. 

.  Even  Persis,  in  view  of  the  majestic  sight  to  be 
expected,  consented  to  leave  her  household  cares 
for  once  and  join  the  party,  and  Puggy,  who  was 
eminently  gregarious  in  disposition,  seeing  the  in- 


THE  THUNDERING  HOLE.  319 

tention  of  all  his  friends  to  depart,  carefully 
weighed  in  the  balance  the  two  evils  of  remaining 
behind  alone  and  going  with  them.  He  under 
stood  perfectly  the  indications  of  a  general  invest 
ing  in  shawls,  tied-down  hats,  and  pilgrim  staves. 
He  knew  the  intention  of  his  infatuated  and  mis 
guided  companions  was  to  seek  a  spot  where  the 
wind  was  uncomfortably  high  and  one  could  not 
escape  being  flecked  with  salt  water.  Arriving 
finally  at  the  decision  to  immolate  himself  on  the 
altar  of  friendship,  he  made  his  own  simple  prep 
arations,  which  consisted  in  uncurling  his  tail,  and 
was  ready. 

The  little  cavalcade  moved  down  through  the 
lane  and  the  narrow  path,  until  the  blue  waters  of 
Little  Harbor,  bravely  foam-tipped  to-day,  shone 
through  the  trees.  Skirting  the  curving  beach  of 
the  harbor,  they  again  entered  the  woods  and 
walked  over  rising  ground  to  the  rugged  end  of 
the  island,  between  whose  rocks  and  the  jagged 
borders  of  Jaquish,  lying  near,  the  "emerald 
cliffs  "  upreared  and  broke,  rushing  with  headlong 
abandon  upon  the  steadfast  granite. 

Climbing  down  among  the  boulders  with  vary 
ing  degrees  of  fearless  sure-footedness,  the  party 
disposed  themselves  in  favorable  positions  to  com 
mand  a  view  of  the  cave,  a  small  segment  of  whose 
mysterious  orifice  showed  above  the  mad  whirl  of 
the  waters. 

The  huge  wave  rushing  in  with  a  crash  was  met 
by  some  invisible  power  which,  in  apparent  resent* 


320  DR.  LATIMEE. 

merit  of  the  rough  invasion,  expelled  the  intruder 
with  a  deep,  thunderous  roar  and  a  force  which 
shot  into  space  a  volley  of  water  in  a  bright,  high- 
reaching  arc,  to  splash  back  at  last  among  the 
tumbling  billows. 

Not  much  was  said  for  a  time,  as  all  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  the  grand  commotion,  and  Puggy, 
standing  in  a  fit  of  indecision,  on  a  high,  comfort 
less  point  of  rock  where  he  was  buffeted  by  the 
wind,  expressed  in  every  wrinkle  of  his  contemp 
tuous  countenance  and  his  rose-leaf  bit  of  tongue 
his  opinion  of  the  discrimination  which  gave  this 
situation  the  preference  over  sunny,  sheltered  cor 
ners  of  the  piazza  at  home.  As  Mr.  Bruch  would 
have  said,  he  found  the  beauties  of  nature  "vera 
boresome." 

Agnes  Norman  and  Josephine  were  sitting  to 
gether  on  the  advantageous  ledge  which  the  doctor 
had  found  for  them,  and  as  the  tide  receded  Jose 
phine  amused  herself  by  scooping  up  handfuls  of 
water  which  had  lodged  in  a  hollow  near  by  and 
pouring  it  upon  a  group  of  dry  barnacles.  She 
was  delighted  whenever  one  opened  his  little  door 
and  reached  up  an  eager  hand  for  food. 

Everything  the  girl  did  seemed  good  and  inter 
esting  to  her  lover,  and  gradually  he  became  less 
heedful  of  what  Agnes  was  saying  to  him,  and 
more  attentive  to  the  movement  of  the  hand  that 
was  his  own  though  animated  by  another  brain. 

Miss  Norman  smiled  a  little  and  stopped  talk 
ing. 


THE  THUNDERING  HOLE.  321 

"I  am  going  home,  Josephine,"  announced  Dr. 
Latimer  at  last. 

"Just  wait  a  minute,"  she  responded  idly; 
"they  are  waking  up  beautifully.  Evidently  the 
theory  of  tides  doesn't  trouble  them  in  the  least. 
They  think  the  millennium  has  come  and  it  is  go 
ing  to  be  high  tide  all  the  time." 

"But  I  don't  want  you  to  come,"  returned  the 
doctor,  and  then  smiled  at  the  sudden  turn  of  the 
head  and  surprised  upward  glance  she  gave  him. 
"I  have  some  work  to  do, "he  added,  after  a  silent 
moment  in  which  he  fondly  gazed  down  at  her. 
"You  come  later  with  Agnes.  It  is  too  bad  to 
leave  this  so  soon." 

"Well,"  she  returned,  after  the  slightest  pause 
of  reluctance,  "good-by,  Dr.  Latimer."  She 
reached  up  to  him  the  hand  which  she  had  care 
fully  kept  dry.  Upon  it  gleamed  one  large,  lus 
trous  pearl,  which  had  parted  company  with  the 
sea  forever. 

He  took  the  hand  in  his  with  a  strong,  loving 
pressure,  and  they  exchanged  a  look  of  perfect 
confidence. 

"Good-by,"  he  answered,  and  then  sprang  up 
the  rocks. 

"Let  Puggy  go  with  you,"  called  Miss  Char 
lotte,  who  sat  in  a  lofty  eyrie  opposite,  with  Per- 
sis ;  but  Puggy  had  departed  with  Olin,  Dickie, 
Vernon,  and  Helen,  who  were  moving  along  the 
shore,  as  the  small  dog  fervently  trusted,  in  search 
of  softer  climes. 


322  DB.  LATIMER. 

"I  'm  goin'  to  look  in  at  the  Martins'  before  I 
go  back,"  remarked  Persis.  "It 's  lonely  for  the 
eap'n's  wife,  now  he  's  off  sword-fishin',  and  I  'd 
better  be  stirrin',  for  I  've  got  to  be  home  to  get 
dinner." 

"I  '11  go  with  you,"  said  Miss  Charlotte.  "But 
oh,  there's  a  splendid  wave,  Persis!  We  must 
see  it  break." 

Josephine  saw  them  rise.  "Everybody  is  going 
or  gone,"  she  remarked.  "We  might  as  well  go 
back.  You  will  take  me  in  at  the  Nautilus  a  few 
minutes,  won't  you,  since  Dr.  Latimer  is  so  afraid 
I  shall  disturb  him?" 

"I  hereby  formally  invite  you  to  dinner,"  re 
turned  Agnes.  She  took  Josephine's  arm  as  they 
rose  and  held  her  a  minute  while  she  looked  into 
her  face.  "You  're  a  very  happy  woman,  aren't 
you,  my  dear?  "  she  said  musingly. 

"Is  there  such  a  thing  as  being  too  happy,  Ag 
nes?"  asked  the  girl  wistfully.  At  her  friend's 
request  she  had  learned  to  address  her  thus  infor 
mally.  "I  don't  mean  the  question  in  a  supersti 
tious  sense;  I  only  mean  that  perhaps  it  isn't 
quite  in  good  taste  for  me  to  look  as  I  sometimes  see 
myself  suddenly  when  I  chance  to  pass  a  mirror." 

Miss  Norman  smiled.  "  Is  it  in  good  taste  for 
the  sun  to  shine?  I  think  it  is.  If  I  do  not  com 
plain,  nobody  should.  Before  your  reign  I  was 
Dr.  Latimer 's  chosen  companion  and  confidante, 
and  now,  if  you  happen  to  be  near,  he  is  not  sure 
to  hear  me  when  I  speak." 


THE  THUNDERING  HOLE.  323 

"How  good  you  are  to  me!  "  exclaimed  the  girl, 
with  a  burst  of  grateful  acknowledgment.  "  What 
an  unselfish  person  you  must  be,  Agnes." 

"No,"  was  the  calm  rejoinder.  "It  exactly 
suited  me  to  have  the  doctor  love  you,  and,  there 
fore,  he  cannot  love  you  too  much  to  please 
me." 

"I  have  always  wondered  so,"  said  Josephine 
hesitatingly,  and  with  an  apology  in  her  eyes,  "how 
it  could  be  that  —  oh,  it  is  execrable  in  me  to  say 
it,  and  I  won't." 

"I  understand  you.  Don't  you  know  it  is  a 
peculiarity  of  lovers  to  congratulate  themselves 
upon  the  blindness  of  the  rest  of  the  world?  " 

"After  honoring  me  with  your  confidence  as  you 
once  did,  I  should  not  be  supposed  to  have  such  a 
thought,"  returned  the  girl  hastily,  "but  the  very 
bitterness  of  your  experience  must  have  made  his 
qualities  shine  by  contrast,  and  you  were  so  inti 
mate,  and  you  are  both  so  good." 

There  was  a  mist  over  the  dark  eyes  as  Josephine 
ceased. 

Agnes  kissed  her.  "  It  must  look  a  little  puz 
zling  to  you,  but  there  were  circumstances  in  the 
case  which  would  make  it  clearer  if  it  were  worth 
while  to  rake  up  a  dead-and-gone  past,  which  it 
most  certainly  is  not.  Now  don't  look  question 
ing,"  she  added,  with  a  sauciness  assumed  to  hide 
her  apprehension  of  arousing  Josephine's  curiosity. 
"My  secrets  are  my  own,  and  the  less  interesting 
ones  I  intend  to  keep.  Instead  of  asking  conun- 


324  DR.  LATIMER. 

drums,  why  aren't  you  grateful  to  me  for  saving 
Dr.  Latimer  for  you  all  these  years?  " 

"Oh,  I  am,"  replied  the  girl,  humbly.  "I  am 
grateful  in  every  fibre  of  my  being." 

They  ascended  the  rocks  leisurely  and  moved  in 
among  the  trees.  Josephine  took  a  twig  from  a 
fir  as  she  walked  on,  and  hummed  a  little  tune. 
The  summer  sun  drew  rich  odors  from  the  full 
boughs  that  bent  to  let  them  pass.  The  waters  of 
Little  Harbor  sparkled  and  courtesied  gayly  as 
the  tide  went  out,  and  they  walked  dryshod  over 
the  hard  sand  so  recently  immersed. 

Entering  the  narrow  path  which  led  home,  Agnes 
walked  in  advance,  thinking  the  thoughts  which 
Josephine's  question  had  set  in  train.  All  at 
once  she  stopped  and  listened;  then  turned  to  her 
companion. 

"I  thought  I  heard  Dr.  Latimer's  voice,"  she 
said.  "Let  us  go  softly  and  surprise  him." 

They  moved  forward  again,  their  steps  soundless 
on  the  grassy  path,  until  a  turn  revealed  through 
an  aisle  of  the  forest  moving  figures  in  a  clearing 
at  a  short  distance,  the  very  spot  where  a  few  days 
ago  Helen  had  tried  to  soften  the  blow  to  her 
friend. 

Agnes  was  the  first  to  see  a  woman  kneeling  on 
the  ground,  her  arms  outstretched  and  her  face 
wildly  imploring.  She  jumped  back  involuntarily 
and  caught  Josephine  by  the  wrist  before  she 
recognized  that  Dr.  Latimer  was  the  object  of  the 
woman's  regard.  He  was  standing  half -leaning 


THE  THUNDERING  HOLE.  325 

against  a  tree,  and  only  his  side-face  was  visible 
from  the  path. 

Josephine  was  so  startled  by  her  friend's  action 
and  pallor,  that,  viewing  the  tableau,  she  whis 
pered  fearfully :  — 

"Who  is  it?" 

"The  woman  who  stole  my  lover,"  whispered 
Agnes  fiercely,  her  breast  panting  with  the  over 
whelming  associations  which  the  sight  evoked. 
Such  was  the  tumult  of  her  sudden  excitement  that 
she  forgot  it  was  Josephine  upon  whom  she  was 
leaning  heavily. 

"Poor  Agnes,"  murmured  the  girl  below  her 
breath.  "But  what  can  she  want  of  Dr.  Lati- 
mer?" 

"She  is  his  wife." 

The  words  came  with  a  quick,  painful  effort  of 
Miss  Norman's  breath.  "Heaven  forgive  me,  Jo 
sephine!  "  she  ejaculated  with  sudden  recollection, 
concentrating  her  attention  on  her  companion. 
"Don't  faint.  You  mustn't,"  she  added,  with 
short,  sharp  imperativeness.  "Think  of  him.  He 
must  n't  find  you  here.  Come  home.  Lean  on  me. 
You  can.  Be  brave." 

With  her  arm  around  her  friend  they  fled  stum 
bling  along  the  path,  and  all  the  sweet  day  was 
turned  to  the  semblance  of  a  terrible  dream  whose 
chiefest  horror  followed  them  in  their  flight  with 
a  wild  wail :  — 

"Just  this  once,  Paul.  Just  this  once  more. 
I  will  be  true!" 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

GOOD -NIGHT. 

WHEN  Persis,  with  sturdy,  hurried  step,  ap 
proached  the  Sea  Shell  a  little  later,  she  flung  a 
laughing  good-by  to  Miss  Charlotte,  who  had  ac 
companied  her. 

"The  laborin'  class  has  got  to  go  at  it,"  she  ob 
served.  "Holiday 's  over." 

She  took  the  back-door  key  down  from  its  hook 
and  let  herself  in.  Taking  off  her  hat,  she  placed 
that,  her  shawl,  and  her  staff,  in  the  curtained 
niche  in  the  parlor;  then,  returning  to  the  kitchen, 
lighted  the  wicks  in  the  oil  stove.  She  had  filled 
the  tea-kettle  and  was  placing  it  in  position,  when 
she  heard  a  rap  on  the  glass  of  the  locked  door. 
Turning  around  she  saw  Miss  Charlotte,  who  rat 
tled  the  door-handle. 

"Go  'round  by  the  front  way,  please,"  called 
Persis,  gesticulating.  "The  wind 's  so  strong  it 
puts  my  wicks  out." 

"  Let  me  in !  Let  me  in !  "  cried  Miss  Charlotte, 
and  rapped  the  harder.  Persis  noticed  a  disturb 
ance  of  her  face  and  unlocked  the  door. 

"Quick  as  you  can,  then!  "she  cried,  rather 
resentful  of  this  willfulness,  guarding  the  stove 
with  her  outstretched  skirt.  "You  know"  — 


GOOD-NIGHT.  327 

"Oh,  Persis!"  exclaimed  Miss  Charlotte  dis 
tractedly,  as  the  door  was  swiftly  closed,  "a  terri 
ble  thing  has  happened.  The  poor  doctor !  That 
woman  has  come  back  !  " 

"What  woman?"  asked  the  other,  instinctively 
summoning  her  forces  to  meet  some  emergency, 
and  speaking  stonily.  "You  don't  mean  the  vam 
pire?  She's  dead.'" 

"No,  she  isn't,"  groaned  Miss  Norman.  "She 
is  on  the  island  this  minute." 

"She  died  in  Paris  five  years  ago,"  said  Persis, 
staring  at  the  other  doggedly.  "I  read  it  myself. 
Amelia  Hegner  Latimer,  wife  of  Paul  Latimer, 
Esquire,  of  Boston,  U.  S.  A.  Impudent  in  life, 
in  death  she  wan't  any  better." 

"Persis,  you  must  take  it  in!"  returned  Char 
lotte  severely,  shaking  the  dazed  woman  by  the 
arm.  "She  has  come  back.  She  has  met  Dr. 
Latimer,  and  Josephine  knows  it,  and  is  in  at 
our  house  with  Agnes.  I  can't  stay  away  an 
other  minute.  You  must  explain  it  to  the  girls 
the  best  way  you  can,"  and  with  a  parting  ner 
vous  shake  to  Miss  Applebee's  arm,  Miss  Char 
lotte  whisked  out  and  away,  her  drab  locks  flying 
in  the  wind. 

Persis  stood  staring  straight  before  her;  then  a 
great  dry  sob  convulsed  the  faithful  breast.  La 
boriously  she  went  down  on  her  knees  before  a 
chair  and  clasped  her  hands  on  its  wooden  seat. 

"O  Father,  Thy  will  be  done! "  came  panting, 
half -aloud,  from  her  lips.  "Help  us  all.  Help 


328  DE.  LATIMER. 

Josephine  the  most,  for  she  's  young,  and  she  sets 
so  by  the  doctor.  Show  me  what  to  say  to  the 
girls.  Oh,  there  they  be,  now!"  and  the  poor 
woman  scrambled  to  her  feet  as  Vernon's  laugh 
sounded  merrily  at  the  front  door. 

"Yes,  we  will  go  into  the  cove  at  three,"  called 
the  bright,  young  voice.  "The  water  is  sure  to 
be  warm.  Helen  has  just  rushed  us  home,  Per- 
sis,"  she  added,  coming  in  breezily,  "she  was  so 
afraid  she  would  not  be  in  time  to  set  the  table ; 
but  Ike  Johnson  has  shot  the  queerest  fish,  and  he 
has  it  up  there  on  the  beach,  and  I  made  her  stop 
to  look  at  it." 

"Yes,  you  can  see  it  from  the  window,"  added 
Helen.  "  Come  and  look.  He  calls  it  a  herring- 
hog.  Such  a  name !  It  does  have  a  piggy  look 
with  its  little  bits  of  eyes  and  all  its  hungry  teeth 
set  about  a  mouth  like  a  whale's.  He  is  going  to 
try  out  its  oil  for  his  guns,  and  "  — 

"Yes,  yes,"  interrupted  Persis.  "Now,  I've 
got  to  ask  you  to  be  strong,  good  children,  and 
listen  bravely  to  some  bad  news,  'cause  we  've  all 
got  to  take  hold  together  and  do  the  best  we  can 
to  bear  it." 

"Mr.  Bruch?"  exclaimed  Helen,  with  dilated 
eyes. 

"No,  't  ain't  anything  concernin'  his  affairs. 
Troubles  never  come  singly,  and  this  one  's  nearer 
home;  "  then,  seeing  the  terror  in  the  girls'  faces: 
"Nobody's  dead;  I  wish  they —  Pshaw!  I 
mustn't  say  that.  Come  here."  She  drew  one 


GOOD-NIGHT.  329 

of  the  wondering-  girls  down  on  either  side  of  her 
upon  the  divan. 

"When  Dr.  Latimer  was  a  very  young  man," 
she  began  determinedly,  "he  went  to  Vienna  to 
study  in  the  hospitals  as  a  kind  of  an  end-off  to 
his  education.  There  in  an  evil  day  he  met  a 
black-eyed  girl  and  fell  in  love  with  her.  I  s'pose 
she  was  as  weak  and  bad  a  nature  as  ever  lived, 
but  he  was  all  wrapped  up  in  her,  and  he  married 
her  and  fetched  her  home  to  Boston.  His  mother 
was  an  angel  o'  goodness  to  that  girl,  and  fortu 
nately  she  died  before  the  young  woman's  capers 
got  scandalous,  though  she  was  so  extravagant 
that  folks  said  she  'd  ruin  the  doctor,  rich  as  he 
was.  Well,  Miss  Agnes  Norman  was  engaged  to 
a  man  who  took  the  eye  o'  this  bad  young  woman, 
and  the  night  before  Miss  Agnes'  weddin'  was  to 
have  come  off,  she  eloped  with  him.  There  ain't 
no  use  o'  dwellin'  on  that  time.  It  came  just  like 
a  clap  o'  thunder  on  the  doctor,  and  laid  him  up  a 
spell  with  fever.  He  hain't  been  the  same  man 
since,  but,  as  you  know,  he  's  been  the  kind  of  a 
man  that  don't  very  often  get  met  with  here  below. 
He  rose  up  at  last  and  tried  to  do  what  could  be 
done  for  that  woman.  He  saw  now  what  she  was, 
and  he  set  to  to  see  if  he  could  keep  her  from 
fallin'  any  lower.  It  would  be  a  weary  story  and 
not  an  improvin'  one  if  I  should  tell  you  the  half 
o'  what  he 's  been  through.  The  man  she  run 
away  with  was  killed  the  very  next  week  in  a  rail 
road  accident.  I  don't  know  as  Miss  Agnes 


330  DR.  LATIMER. 

knows  it  to  this  day,  but  no  matter  about  that. 
The  smartness  and  ingeniousness  that  woman  has 
shown  in  managin'  to  keep  a  hold  on  the  doctor, 
pretendin'  to  have  a  child,  pretendin'  to  reform, 
pretendin'  every  thin'  that  could  make  a  claim  on 
a  man's  conscience,  passes  belief.  Five  years  ago 
came  a  release,  signed  and  sealed,  in  the  shape  of 
a  notice  of  her  death  in  the  Boston  papers.  Dr. 
Latimer  traced  it  back  to  the  paper  in  Paris, 
where  it  first  appeared,  but,  oh,  girls,  the  worst 
hain't  been  told  yet.  Even  dyin'  was  only  pre 
tense  with  her.  She  couldn't  do  anythin'  so  re 
spectable.  She  's  alive  and  here  on  this  island 
to-day!" 

"Where  is  Josephine ?"  asked  both  girls  in  a 
breath. 

"In  next  door.     She  knows  it." 

"But,  is  Dr.  Latimer  not  divorced  from  the 
woman?  "  asked  Helen. 

"I  don't  believe  so,"  answered  Persis  wretch 
edly.  "And  s'posin'  he  was!  I  should  n't  have 
any  hope  of  his  bein'  happy  or  takin'  comfort 
with  anybody  else  while  she  's  above  ground." 

She  looked  despairingly  at  the  carpet,  and  the 
sisters  looked  at  each  other. 

"Will  she  come  here?"  asked  Vernon  appre 
hensively. 

"Not  while  I  've  got  my  health,"  replied  Persis. 

A  long,  quick  step  was  heard  on  the  piazza,  and 
Olin  Randolph  came  impetuously  into  the  room. 
Vernon  sprang  to  her  feet. 


GOOD-NIGHT.  331 

It  may  be  illogical,  but  the  fact  remains,  that 
when  a  woman  loves  a  man,  it  is  her  firm  convic 
tion  that  he  is  all-powerful  either  to  ward  off  or 
heal  trouble.  The  cyclone  will  not  destroy,  the 
lightning  will  not  strike,  no  sorrow  or  misfortune 
of  the  inner  life  will  crush,  provided  he  stands 
near. 

Vernon's  spirits  sprang  up  with  her  body,  in 
vague  hopefulness.  The  young  man's  eyes  were 
blazing  with  feeling.  All  the  imperturbable  in 
difference  of  his  face  was  gone. 

"Has  Dr.  Latimer  come  back?"  he  asked 
quickly. 

uNo." 

"Vernon,  that  is  the  woman  we  met  in  Port 
land.  She  knew  me  by  some  resemblance  to  my 
family.  Why  didn't  some  intuition  suggest  to 
me  to  shove  her  into  the  water!  Girls,  I  'm  sorry 
for  you,"  he  held  out  an  energetic  hand  to  each  of 
them  and  wrung  theirs  with  painful,  unconscious 
force. 

"What  does  Josephine  say?  "  asked  Helen. 

"I  haven't  seen  her.  My  aunts  thought  it 
might  be  best  for  me  to  take  Bruch's  place  at  the 
Cliffords'  if  they  would  let  me  in,  and  give  Jose 
phine  my  room  for  a  day  or  two  until  things  set 
tle  down. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  all?  "  asked 
Vernon,  looking  up  at  him  with  trustful  eyes. 

"I  don't  know  of  anything  I  could  do  except 
commit  a  murder,  and  there  is  a  popular  prejudice 


332  DE.  LATIMEE. 

against  that.  We  must  all  be  very  careful  not 
to  let  a  hint  of  this  get  out  among  the  neighbors." 

"Dr.  Latimer  will  advise  us"  —began  Helen, 
and  then  wrung  her  hands  together  in  helpless 
realization  that  this  sorrow  was  Dr.  Latimer's 
own,  and  that  it  was  not  possible  to  appeal  to 
him  as  usual.  "How  long  I  am  staying  away 
from  Josephine,"  she  added.  "I  dread  so  to  see 
her"- 

Softly  the  front  door  opened  again  and  Jose 
phine  herself  came  in.  Her  unexpected  appear 
ance  sent  a  galvanic  thrill  through  the  company 
assembled.  Helen  started  to  run  toward  her,  but 
was  restrained  by  the  expression  of  her  sister's 
face.  Her  cheeks,  usually  so  soft  and  white,  were 
flushed,  her  eyes  wore  a  bewildered  expression  as 
though  she  had  but  just  waked  up.  There  was  a 
little  questioning  frown  on  her  forehead,  but  she 
had  not  the  despairing  look  they  had  expected  to 
see. 

"Hasn't  Dr.  Latimer  come  back  yet?"  she 
asked. 

"No,"  answered  Persis,  "and  if  I  don't  stir 
'round  there  won't  be  any  dinner  for  him  when  he 
does  come,"  and  rising  with  an  elaborately  care 
less  air,  while  her  heart  thumped  violently  against 
her  ribs,  she  found  her  way  into  the  kitchen. 

Helen  and  Vernon  began  to  set  the  table. 

Olin  addressed  Josephine.  "Am  I  to  move  my 
traps  out  of  my  room?"  he  asked,  his  kind  con 
cern  showing  through  his  commonplace  words. 


GOOD-NIGHT.  333 

"What  for?"  asked  the  girl,  turning  her  con 
fused  glance  upon  him. 

"Aunt  Charlotte  said  something  about  claiming 
you  for  a  visit,"  he  returned,  looking  away  from 
her  eyes. 

"No.  I  am  not  going  to  stay  in  there,"  she 
answered  indifferently.  "I  am  waiting  now  for 
Dr.  Latimer." 

"Well,  I  will  see  you  all  again,"  remarked 
Randolph,  feeling  very  awkward  as  he  took  him 
self  out  of  the  room. 

Josephine  went  to  the  south  window  and  gazed 
across  the  fields.  Her  sisters  went  on  silently 
with  their  work,  with  frightened,  heavy  hearts. 

Dr.  Latimer  did  not  appear  at  dinner-time, 
though  they  waited  until  long  past  the  usual  hour. 

Finally,  reluctantly,  Persis  drew  a  chair  to  the 
table.  "I  s'pose  't  ain't  any  use  to  wait  any  lon 
ger,"  she  remarked  tentatively,  addressing  Jose 
phine's  back.  The  other  girls  took  their  places, 
anxiously  eyeing  their  sister,  who  made  no  sign. 

"I  think,  Josephine,"  said  Helen,  after  a  min 
ute,  "if  you  would  come  and  sit  down  and  not 
watch  any  longer  he  will  be  much  more  likely  to 
come." 

Upon  this  the  girl  turned,  with  a  sighing  breath, 
and  came  obediently  to  take  her  place.  While 
her  companions  all  felt  anxious  embarrassment, 
she  appeared  almost  unconscious  of  their  presence, 
and  even  began  to  eat  mechanically  what  they  set 
before  her. 


334  DR.  LATIMER. 

The  others  felt  that  nothing  was  to  be  said 
upon  the  subject  uppermost  in  their  minds  un 
til  the  doctor's  return,  and  Vernon  began  talk 
ing  about  the  porpoise  lying  down  below  on  the 
beach. 

In  the  midst  of  her  labored  remarks  Josephine 
spoke,  evidently  unconscious  of  interrupting. 

"Did  you  know,  girls,  that  Dr.  Latimer  had 
been  married?  " 

For  a  second  there  was  no  sound  but  that  made 
by  Persis  dropping  her  fork. 

"We  didn't  know  it  till  to-day,  dear,"  replied 
Helen. 

"I  did,"  said  Josephine.  "He  told  me  some 
time  ago.  It  was  a  very  unhappy  marriage,  and 
she  died.  That  is  all  he  told  me." 

"He  meant  to  tell  you  the  truth,"  hazarded  the 
housekeeper  in  a  timid  voice.  "You  can  depend 
on  that." 

The  girl  looked  up  at  her  wonderingly.  "It  is 
strange  you  should  think  you  must  tell  me  that, 
Persis,"  she  said  quietly. 

"Well,  I"  —stammered  the  housekeeper,  then 
she  raised  her  teacup  and  drank  busily. 

Josephine  pushed  her  chair  back  restlessly  from 
the  table,  rose,  and  went  out  of  doors.  The  others 
could  see  her  as  she  moved  slowly  along  the  grassy 
bluff.  The  tide  was  out,  and  the  round,  weed- 
grown  rocks  on  the  shore  below  looked  like  groups 
of  witches'  heads  with  dank,  stringy  hair,  huddled 
together  in  grewsome  conference. 


GOOD-NIGHT.  335 

"How  strangely  she  takes  it !  "  observed  Yer- 
non,  regarding  her  elders  anxiously. 

"What  do  you  make  of  her,  Miss  Helen?" 
asked  Persis,  almost  in  the  same  breath. 

Helen's  eyes  filled.  "I  don't  know;  she  is 
either  dazed  or  terribly  excited.  She  evidently 
has  not  shed  a  tear." 

"Oh,  dear  me!  "  said  Vernon.  "I  'm  afraid  to 
have  her  out  there  alone.  She  reminds  me  of 
Ophelia.  There  is  no  telling  what  she  will  do." 

"Don't  cry,  dear,"  returned  Helen.  "She  is 
full  now  of  the  one  idea  of  seeing  Dr.  Latimer. 
All  I  fear  is  that  she  may  grow  so  restless  and  im 
patient  that  she  will  start  off  to  find  him.  I  do 
not  mean  to  allow  her  to  go  out  of  my  sight." 

Pursuant  of  this  idea,  Helen  sought  the  piazza, 
book  in  hand,  and  seated  herself  as  if  to  read. 
Soon,  as  she  had  expected,  Josephine  turned  and 
began  walking  back  toward  the  lane. 

Helen  dropped  her  book  and  ran  after  her. 
"Where  are  you  going?  "  she  asked. 

"To  see  if  I  can  find  Paul." 

"I  wouldn't." 

"You  do  not  understand.  I  can't  wait  any 
longer." 

"That  is  not  a  sensible  way  to  do  at  all,"  re 
turned  Helen,  with  decision.  "What  shall  we 
say  to  him  if  he  returns  and  you  are  not  here  ? 
Every  minute  makes  it  more  likely  that  he  will 
come,  and  you  have  not  the  least  idea  where  to 
look.  Very  likely  whatever  he  is  busied  about  is 


336  DR.   LATIMER. 

^or  your  sake,  and  if  you  should  happen  to  run 
across  him  you  would  only  disturb  him  and  upset 
his  plans.  Trust  what  I  say,  Josephine.  You 
know  I  have  never  deceived  you,  and  would  not 
advise  what  I  did  not  believe  was  for  your  hap 
piness.  Come  with  me;"  she  took  the  other's 
arm  and  Josephine  yielded  undecidedly.  uCome 
and  lie  in  the  hammock  and  let  me  read  to  you. 
That  will  make  the  time  pass  quickly  until  Dr. 
Latimer  comes." 

She  led  her  sister,  unresisting,  back  to  the 
piazza,  and  did  not  relax  her  urgency  until  the 
girl  was  stretched  in  the  swinging  cradle,  her  hot 
cheek  resting  on  her  hand  and  her  brilliant  eyes 
looking  out  to  sea.  Helen  seated  herself  on  the 
step  near  and  began  to  read  aloud. 

It  was  a  weary  afternoon,  and  the  strain  was 
hard  upon  Helen,  for  the  slow  hours  passed  and 
Dr.  Latimer  did  not  come.  Josephine  did  not 
hear  what  was  read  and  grew  impatient  of  control, 
and  the  younger  sister  watched  her  burning  eyes 
and  cheeks  with  apprehension.  But  by  the  magic 
of  Helen's  gentleness  and  the  tact  with  which  she 
yielded  or  restrained,  supper-time  came  at  last 
without  Josephine's  having  resorted  to  other  meas 
ures  than  short  walks  away  from  the  house  with 
the  faithful  sister  at  her  side. 

Agnes  Norman  was  blind  with  one  of  the  head 
aches  to  which  she  was  subject,  and  Miss  Char 
lotte  was  occupied  with  her.  Olin  was  nowhere 
to  be  seen.  Vernon  kept  close  to  Per  sis  all  the 


GOOD-NIGHT.  337 

afternoon,  occasionally  peeping  furtively  from  a 
window  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  Helen  and  her 
charge.  It  did  not  seem  to  her  the  same  world 
they  had  all  lived  in  yesterday. 

After  tea,  which  was  a  neglected  meal,  twilight 
found  the  same  expectant  hush  prevailing  about 
the  two  cottages.  A  neighbor  from  farther  up  the 
cliff  came  blithely  to  a  window  of  the  Sea  Shell 
and  called  in  that  everybody  was  going  to  the 
staircase  to  watch  the  moon  rise,  and  exhorted  the 
girls  to  come. 

Vigilant  Helen  flew  to  the  window.  "Yes,"  she 
replied,  nodding  pleasantly.  "The  rest  of  you  go 
on.  Don't  wait  for  us.  Won't  it  be  a  superb 
sight  this  clear  night?  " 

The  messenger  ran  ahead  to  join  her  party. 
"Go,  Vernon,"  suggested  Helen;  but  the  young 
est  shook  her  head.  The  dizzying  whirl  of  foam 
at  the  staircase  would  be  unbearable  to-night. 

Darkness  fell.  Persis  sat  by  the  table  and  went 
through  the  motions  of  reading  her  newspaper. 

Josephine  walked  up  and  down  the  room  in  in 
creasing  unrest,  and  at  last  moved  toward  the 
door. 

"Moon's  due,"  observed  Miss  Applebee,  look 
ing  at  the  clock,  and  Helen  and  Vernon  threw 
down  their  books  and  followed  their  sister  out  of 
doors. 

The  top  of  the  great  red  disk  was  visible  al 
ready,  the  waves  silhouetted  unevenly  against  it, 
and  a  suggestion  of  shimmering  light  foretold  the 
glory  to  come. 


338  DR.  LATIMEE. 

Per  sis  came  out  and  stood  on  the  piazza. 
Where  could  Dr.  Latimer  be?  Her  brain  was 
weary  with  conjecturing.  The  day  had  been  long, 
but  the  night  was  even  more  depressing.  She 
looked  pityingly  after  Josephine,  who  had  gone  a 
little  distance  and  who  now  opened  the  gate  in  the 
cliff  railing. 

Helen  sprang  up.  "Josephine!"  she  cried, 
running  to  her,  all  the  fears  of  the  day  condensed 
into  an  unreasoning  horror. 

The  other  turned  and  regarded  her  curiously. 

"What  is  the  matter?  "  she  asked,  quietly. 

"I  —  don't  know,"  stammered  Helen  in  confu 
sion.  "You  frightened  me." 

"  You  behave  as  though  you  were  afraid  I  might 
do  something  desperate,  —  leap  off  the  cliff,  for 
instance.  What  should  I  do  that  for?  " 

"You  —  of  course  not,"  replied  Helen  incoher 
ently. 

"I  don't  know  why  I  opened  the  gate.  Perhaps 
I  opened  it  to  the  tide.  It  took  my  happiness 
when  it  went  out.  It  is  coming  back  now.  I  wish 
you  would  leave  me  a  few  minutes,"  she  added 
piteously.  "All  the  afternoon  I  have  wanted  time 
to  think,  and  you  would  not  let  me.  You  are 
good,  Helen,  but  you  irritate  me." 

"I  suppose  I  do,"  answered  poor  Helen,  meekly, 
and  she  went  back  to  the  piazza,  from  which  van 
tage  ground  she  could  watch  her  sister,  whose  fig 
ure  came  out  with  great  and  greater  distinctness 
in  the  growing  radiance  of  the  slowly  rising,  vast 


GOOD-NIGHT.  339 

red  moon.  The  path  of  bright,  rough  silver  flashed 
across  the  sea  and  a  ship's  sails  stood  distinctly 
outlined  against  the  wheel  of  fire. 

With  magnificent  deliberation  the  tide  was  com 
ing  in,  and  the  powerful  hwish-sh  of  its  long  sweep 
was  the  only  sound  that  broke  the  stillness.  The 
neighboring  cottages,  all  save  the  Nautilus,  were 
deserted,  and  that  gave  no  sign  of  life. 

All  at  once  a  man's  tall  figure  came  out  of  the 
distant  shadow  and  walked  along  the  cliff.  He 
drew  near  the  spot  where  Josephine  was  standing. 
She  felt  his  presence,  —  perhaps  heard  his  footfall, 
heavy  with  fatigue. 

Turning  eagerly,  a  long  sigh  of  relief  escaped 
her.  "Paul!" 

She  was  in  his  arms  when  the  three  women  on 
the  piazza  hastily  withdrew  into  the  house. 

Dr.  Latimer's  cheek  pressed  the  dark  head  that 
rested  on  his  shoulder.  "Is  this  the  greeting  you 
have  for  me  still,  Josephine?"  he  asked. 

uWhy  not?     Oh,  you  have  been  gone  so  long." 

"Yet  you  know  what  has  come  to  me,"  he  an 
swered.  "I  saw  you  with  Agnes,  there  by  the 
wood  as  you  hurried  away." 

"What  has  come  to  us,"  she  corrected  him. 
"Can  anything  come  to  you  that  does  not  come  to 
me  as  well?  " 

"Oh,  Josephine!"  The  exclamation  escaped 
him  with  a  painful  catch  of  the  breath. 

"I  suppose  I  understand  it.  I  try  to.  I  think 
once  in  a  while  that  I  comprehend  it  all,  but  it 
slips  away.  It  will  not  be  real." 


340  DE.  LATIMER. 

"My  poor- darling !  "  The  ineffable  compassion 
in  his  voice  thrilled  her. 

"Don't  call  me  that,"  she  said  hastily,  raising 
her  head  and  confronting  him.  "Don't  speak  as 
though  I  were  so  much  to  be  pitied.  You  would  n't 
let  anything  come  between  us,  Paul?  " 

"You  do  not  understand,  I  am  afraid,"  he  re 
turned,  making  a  heroic  struggle  for  self-posses 
sion,  while  her  burning  hand  clung  desperately  to 
his.  "When  I  offered  my  life  to  you,  Josephine, 
I  thought  I  was  through  with  rough  paths." 

"Do  you  think  I  fear  rough  paths? "she  re 
turned  eagerly.  "Try  me.  Where  you  go  I  can 
go,  and  no  matter  what  comes  you  will  hear  no 
complaint,  for  I  shall  feel  none.  Without  you  "  — • 
she  bowed  her  head  against  his  breast  —  "all 
paths  would  be  equally  barren.  Nothing  would 
matter." 

He  held  her  in  his  arms  and  looked  with  weary 
eyes  across  the  silver-sheeted  water. 

"Do  you  believe  in  God,  Josephine?  "  he  asked 
at  last. 

"I  thought  I  did,"  she  answered  desolately. 

"I  do,"  said  Dr.  Latimer  simply. 

Then  there  was  another  silence. 

Presently  she  looked  up  at  him.  "God  has  let 
the  woman  live  whom  you  thought  was  dead.  He 
has  let  her  come  back;  but  she  has  no  claim  upon 
you  except  a  legal  one.  Why  should  you  not  dis 
solve  that  tie  and  forget  her  living  as  you  had  for 
gotten  her  dead?"  she  asked  vehemently. 


GOOD-NIGHT.  341 

"You  do  not  know  what  you  say.  If  I  married 
you  while  that  woman  is  living  I  should  be  guilty. 
You  would  have  a  dangerous  enemy  and  our  life 
would  know  neither  sacredness  nor  peace." 

"Paul,"  she  groaned.  "What  are  you  saying? 
What  are  you  implying?" 

Her  face  looked  so  white  in  the  moonlight,  and 
she  leaned  on  him  so  heavily  that  he  took  her  up 
in  his  arms  and  carried  her  into  the  cottage. 

The  room  was  lighted  and  empty.  Dr.  Latimer 
laid  the  half -fainting  woman  upon  the  divan,  and 
going  to  the  improvised  sideboard,  poured  some 
liquid  into  a  glass.  She  drank  it  obediently,  then 
he  drew  up  a  chair  beside  her. 

For  the  first  time  they  saw  clearly  one  another's 
faces.  The  circles  that  the  anguish  of  the  day  had 
deepened  about  the  doctor's  eyes  woke  aching  re 
morse  in  Josephine. 

"Teach me  to  be  brave,  Paul, "she  said,  raising 
herself  among  the  pillows  and  passing  the  back  of 
her  hand  across  her  forehead,  as  though  to  brush 
away  the  cloud  that  seemed  settling  over  her. 

"I  believe  there  is  no  easy  way  to  learn  the  les 
sons  of  life,"  he  answered.  "I  have  been  practi 
cing,  studying,  very  many  years,  as  it  seems  to 
me.  I  told  you  that  I  felt  old,  and  this  is  the 
sort  of  thing  that  ages  one.  You  are  young  and 
weak  and  tender,  and  the  chief  pang  to  me  in  this 
last  blow  is  that  I  have  drawn  it  upon  you  with 
dreadful  force,  and  that  by  no  means  can  I  bear  it 
for  you." 


342  DR.  LATIMEE. 

The  tired  face,  the  lines  that  seemed  to  have 
come  into  it  during  a  few  hours,  appealed  to  Jo 
sephine  with  a  strength  which  momentarily  lifted 
her  above  the  contemplation  of  her  blighted  hopes. 

"Do  you  not  know,"  she  said,  "that  this  period 
of  our  engagement  has  contained  such  happiness  to 
me  that  even  to  escape  the  dreary  future  I  would 
not  give  it  up?" 

He  regarded  her  with  a  grateful  brightening  of 
his  sad  face. 

"I  will  do  as  you  tell  me,"  she  added,  biting 
her  lip  to  control  its  quivering.  "This  is  some 
thing  we  must  bear  together." 

He  put  his  hand  over  the  one  that  wore  the 
pearl,  while  his  eyes  rested  on  her  with  an  expres 
sion  that  revealed  more  than  his  words. 

"You  must  have  lived  such  a  life  as  mine  was 
before  I  knew  you,  to  understand  what  you  have 
been  and  are  to  me, "he  answered,  and  his  sincere, 
deliberate  speech  never  sounded  more  like  sweet 
music  to  his  companion's  ears.  "In  cutting  my 
self  off  from  the  happiness  of  being  near  you  I 
am"  — 

"Paul,  Paul,  you  are  not  going  away!"  the 
exclamation  was  an  involuntary  wail.  "Oh,  for 
give  me.  Be  patient  with  me.  Tell  me  why  it  is 
necessary.  I  will  try  to  see  it." 

Her  contrition,  her  helpless  love  for  him,  al 
most  destroyed  the  man's  long-trained  endurance. 

He  bowed  his  head  and  pressed  his  lips  te  her 
hand. 


GOOD-NIGHT.  343 

"Josephine,"  he  said,  suddenly  looking  up, 
"how  many  scenes  of  this  sort  could  we  bear,  you 
and  I?  Can't  you  see  that  it  must  be  that  we 
separate?  " 

Pie  had  never  spoken  so  sharply,  and  the  pallor 
of  his  face  startled  her  more  than  his  words.  The 
long,  mysterious  strain  which  the  day  had  been  to 
him,  his  present  suffering,  nerved  her. 

"You  are  right,"  she  answered  with  a  calmness 
that  astonished  him.  "We  must  appear  to  sepa 
rate.  Nothing  can  ever  really  separate  us,  Paul  ?  " 
She  leaned  toward  him  as  she  spoke,  her  eyes  full 
of  soft  brilliance. 

"If  you  mean  to  ask  me  if  I  shall  ever  stop  lov 
ing  you,  no.  I  love  you  with  all  my  being.  My 
last  thought  at  night  and  my  first  in  the  morning 
will  always  be  of  you;  and  when  I  waken  some 
day  in  that  other  world  whose  existence  is  as  real 
to  me  as  this,  my  first  thought  will  be:  'She  is 
here, '  or  '  She  is  coming. ' ' 

The  girl  listened  with  parted  lips,  and  a  faint 
rosiness  unlike  the  feverish  color  crept  into  her 
pale  face. 

"And  now,  to  decide  on  our  course,"  he  con 
tinued,  holding  her  hands  close  and  speaking 
calmly.  "Will  you  let  me  direct  it?" 

"I  will  do  exactly  what  you  say." 

"Then  you  will  remain  here  with  your  sisters 
and  Persis,  while  I  go  back  to  Boston,  to-mor 
row." 

"  I  do  not  think  it  is  right  for  you  to  be  deprived 


344  DE.  LATIMEE. 

of  this  place,  which  you  need  more  than  the  girls 
and  I  do." 

"Didn't  you  say  you  would  obey  me?"  he 
asked,  with  a  sad  smile. 

"Yes,  and  I  will,  exactly." 

"It  is  not  best  for  me  to  stay  here,  for  more 
reasons  than  one." 

Josephine  bowed.  "Shall  you  write  to  me?" 
she  asked,  looking  at  him  beseechingly.  "I  will 
tell  you  what  I  fear.  It  is  so  hard  for  me  to  ad 
just  myself  to  the  situation.  My  mind  repels  it 
obstinately.  I  am  afraid  when  you  are  gone" 
her  voice  wavered  and  she  paused  a  second  before 
going  on  bravely  —  "I  shall  not  be  able  to  realize 
it.  My  mind  —  my  head  felt  very  strange  this 
afternoon." 

Dr.  Latimer  pressed  his  lips  together  and  re 
turned  her  gaze  thoughtfully.  It  was  half  a  min 
ute  before  he  spoke. 

"Listen,  my  darling,"  he  began  quietly.  "In 
one  way  I  am  not  going  away  from  you  at  all. 
You  shall  hear  from  me  directly  or  indirectly  every 
day.  Do  you  understand?  Every  day.  You 
must  write  to  me  every  day,  also.  Will  you?" 

Josephine  only  gave  a  fleeting  smile  for  answer. 

"  What  will  you  do  when  I  get  back  to  Bos 
ton?  "  she  asked,  looking  at  him  searchingly. 

"Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof,"  he 
answered  evasively.  "For  the  present,  I  am 
preceding  you  to  the  city,  and  that  is  all  you  are 
to  think  of.  Perhaps  it  will  help  you,  dear,"  he 


GOOD-NIGHT.  345 

added,  with  apologetic  hesitation,  it  was  such  a 
foreign  argument  for  him  to  use  —  "  it  may  help 
you,  when  you  become  depressed,  to  think  of  my 
hard  lot,  and  remember  that  the  brightest  ray  of 
comfort  that  can  come  to  me  is  to  know  that  you 
are  bearing  yours  well.  I  believe  you  will,"  he 
added  in  a  confident  tone.  "I  believe  you  are 
capable  of  heroism  for  my  sake." 

He  had  touched  the  right  chord.  Exhortation 
to  do  her  duty  would  have  found  and  left  her 
apathetic.  An  appeal  for  his  sake  went  to  the 
quick  of  her  nature. 

"And  now  you  must  take  some  rest,  Josephine. 
We  are  both  spent  with  the  experiences  of  this 
day.  Good-night,  dear."  He  tried  to  say  it  with 
good  cheer,  but  a  little  muscle  twitched  at  the 
corner  of  his  mouth  as  they  both  rose. 

The  girl's  beauty  was  touching  in  its  meekness 
and  effort  at  courage.  Her  mournful  eyes  under 
their  long  lashes  appealed  to  her  companion  with 
mute  eloquence. 

"Good-night,"  he  repeated,  and  stooped  to  kiss 
her  as  was  his  wont. 

"Good-night,"  she  answered,  and  contrary  to 
her  habit  she  put  both  her  arms  around  his  neck 
and  kissed  him  tenderly. 

Then  with  a  docile  air  she  mechanically  turned 
toward  the  stairs  and  began  to  ascend. 

"Josephine!" 

She  turned  around.  Dr.  Latimer  was  standing 
beneath  the  hanging  lamp,  pale,  unsmiling,  with 


346  DR.  LATIMER. 

such  yearning  in  his  eyes  as  drew  her  quickly 
back.  He  stepped  toward  her  and  folded  her  in 
his  arms. 

"Dear  love,"  he  said,  and  kissed  her  hair  and 
brow. 

A  great  sob  rent  her  breast,  and  the  first  tears 
she  had  shed  in  the  long  day  flowed  from  her  eyes 
as  she  clung  to  him. 

He  thanked  God  in  his  heart,  for  the  saving 
drops,  while  he  smoothed  her  hair  and  lavished 
upon  her  every  endearing  title  in  the  lovers'  cate 
gory. 

"Good-night,  now,  and  every  night,  my  Jose 
phine,"  he  said,  when  at  last  they  parted  linger- 
ingly. 

The  lights  were  extinguished ;  the  cottage  was 
still.  The  soft  radiance,  silvering  the  sheets  of 
white  foam  that  crept  high  about  the  island  under 
the  full  moon,  fell  on  the  bowed  head  of  a  man 
who  watched  by  his  window  until  with  the  first 
streaks  of  dawn  he  left  the  house,  not  to  return. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


WHEN  Persis  came  down  at  her  usual  hour  that 
morning  to  light  the  wicks  in  her  oil  stove  she 
found  a  folded  bit  of  paper  on  the  table  addressed 
to  her.  It  told  her  that  Dr.  Latimer  had  re 
turned  to  Boston,  but  that  he  wished  her  to  stay 
at  the  island  as  long  as  the  young  ladies'  engage 
ments  would  permit  them  to  remain.  lie  com 
mended  the  girls  to  her  kind  care  and  told  her  she 
would  hear  from  him  from  time  to  time.  Beside 
this  note  was  one  in  an  envelope  bearing  Jose 
phine's  name. 

The  startled  woman  went  to  the  doctor's  room 
and,  finding  the  door  open,  looked  in.  The  bed 
had  evidently  not  been  lain  upon.  She  stifled  a 
groan  as  she  turned  away,  and  tiptoed  about  with 
great  care  not  to  wake  the  girls.  She  felt  that 
there  was  nothing  but  unhappiness  for  them  to 
wake  up  to  this  morning,  and  wondered  dismally 
what  had  transpired  during  Josephine's  interview 
with  the  doctor  the  night  before. 

"If  he  's  stole  a  march  on  her  and  that  note  's 
the  first  warnin'  she  '11  have  of  it,  I  don't  covet  to 
give  it  to  her,"  she  soliloquized. 


348  DR.  LAT1MER. 

When  Helen  came  down  she  beckoned  her  mys 
teriously  into  the  kitchen. 

"Dr.  Latimer 's  gone,"  she  whispered. 

"  Has  he  ?  Then  Josephine  knows  it,  for  when 
I  urged  her  to  stay  in  bed  this  morning  she  con 
sented." 

"I  hope  to  the  land  she  does  know  it,  and  here  's 
a  letter  he  's  left  for  her." 

When  Helen  carried  up  her  sister's  breakfast, 
the  note  lay  on  the  tray.  Josephine,  white  and 
listless  —  Josephine,  with  all  her  brilliancy  faded, 
gained  a  transient  glad  flush  as  she  eagerly  opened 
the  envelope.  Helen  saw  that  the  written  message 
was  brief,  but  her  sister,  after  reading  and  re-read 
ing  it,  held  it  between  her  clasped  hands  as  though 
whatever  it  contained  gave  her  comfort. 

Helen  later  began  to  brush  and  braid  her  sister's 
hair,  and  when  the  gentle  hands  had  finished  their 
task  Josephine  thanked  her. 

"I  am  afraid  I  was  cross  to  you  last  night  by 
the  gate,  Helen,"  she  said. 

"No,  you  weren't,  my  dear.  I  never  thought 
of  it." 

"You  were  very  good  to  me  and  very  patient 
yesterday,"  went  on  the  other,  with  her  sad  eyes 
on  her  sister's  face.  "It  was  a  hard  day  for  us 
both." 

"Don't  mention  my  part  of  it,"  returned  the 
younger,  as  she  sat  down  on  the  side  of  the  bed. 

"Everything  is  more  hopeless  than  my  worst 
apprehensions  imagined,"  said  Josephine  drearily, 


"4  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET."  349 

"and  now  the  next  thing  is  to  sec  how  I  am  goino1 
to  live  so  as  not  to  be  a  trial  to  my  friends." 

"You  have  two  friends  to  whom  you  can  never 
be  a  trial."  The  tears  started  in  Helen's  eyes  as 
she  spoke,  but  she  resolutely  forced  them  back. 

"My  sisters  are  the  very  ones  upon  whom  I  am 
most  anxious  not  to  be  a  drag.  Dr.  Latimer  ex 
pects  me  to  be  heroic,  and  I  don't  want  to  disap 
point  him,  but  he  is  so  much  the  better  part  of 
me.  He  seems  to  have  taken  all  my  vitality,  all 
my  power  of  resistance  with  him." 

Vernon  was  noiselessly  putting  things  to  rights 
on  the  bureau,  meekly  keeping  away  from  Jose 
phine  in  the  respect  and  awe  she  felt  for  her  sor 
row. 

"I  want  to  own  my  weakness  frankly  to  you 
and  Vernon,  as  you  are  the  most  likely  to  suffer 
from  it ;  but  I  am  going  to  try,  girls  —  only  I  am 
very  tired  this  morning." 

"You  have  had  a  great  nervous  shock,  Jose 
phine,"  replied  Helen.  "You  must  give  yourself 
time  to  recover  from  it.  Then  remember,  it 
might  have  been  worse." 

"How  could  it?" 

"Dr.  Latimer  might  have  been  drowned." 

"Yes,"  Josephine  clasped  closer  the  few  words, 
whose  warmth  even  written  seemed  to  penetrate 
her  heart  with  a  feeble  glow;  "but  in  that  case  he 
would  have  suffered  less.  This  blow  is  a  terrible 
thing  to  him." 

"He  can  bear  it,  however,"  returned  the  other 


350  DR.  LATIMER. 

firmly,  "because  he  does  not  try  to  carry  his  bur 
dens  in  his  own  strength.  His  greatest  tempta 
tion  in  this  will  be  lack  of  trust  for  you.  That 
anxiety  will  prey  upon  him  most  of  all  unless  you 
can  relieve  it." 

Josephine  looked  into  her  sister's  clear  eyes 
wonderingly.  "How  did  you  know  that?" 

"Only  by  knowing  Dr.  Latimer.  The  secret 
of  his  influence  over  people  is  only  that  absolute 
trust  in  God  which  he  has  learned  somehow  in 
life's  school.  He  puts  self  out  of  the  way  more 
than  any  one  we  ever  knew,  and  so  a  power  shines 
through  him  which  is  not  of  this  world,  and  people 
when  they  come  near  him  feel  all  that  is  morally 
best  in  them  being  drawn  forward,  and  are  con 
scious  of  crowding  out  of  sight  all  that  they  would 
be  ashamed  to  have  come  to  his  notice.  It  is  a 
great  thing  to  be  loved  by  a  man  like  that,  Jose 
phine." 

"Yes,  yes,"  replied  the  latter,  keeping  her  eyes 
fixed  thirstily  on  her  sister.  "How  much  good 
you  do  me,  Helen." 

"I  don't  like  to  seem  to  preach  to  you,  for, 
were  I  in  your  place,  I  am  sure  I  should  be  very 
weak;  but  in  my  own  trials,"  Helen's  face  flamed 
in  a  surprising  blush,  "  I  find  that  trying  to  feel 
as  I  believe  Dr.  Latimer  would,  helps  me  to  be 
strong." 

u  What  can  you  mean?  " 

Helen  hesitated  a  moment,  then  with  the  con 
viction  that  the  new  channel  for  Josephine's 


"A  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET."  351 

thought  would  be  a  helpful  diversion,  continued : 
"I  am  thinking  very  much  in  these  days  about 
Mr.  Bruch 's  troubles,  and  dreading  the  message 
he  will  send  us  when  he  reaches  home." 

"I  had  forgotten  him,"  said  Josephine.  "That 
is  the  difference  between  you  and  me." 

"No  it  isn't,"  returned  Helen  incoherently. 
"It  matters  a  great  deal  to  me  what  happens  to 
Mr.  Bruch." 

"Oh,  Helen!"  Josephine  covered  her  eyes 
wearily  with  her  hand,  as  though  unable  to  grap 
ple  with  a  new  and  startling  idea. 

Vernon  looked  amazedly,  apprehensively  from 
one  sister  to  the  other,  and  then  ran  downstairs 
and  left  them. 

Per  sis  hurried  out  of  the  kitchen. 

"How's  your  sister  gettin'  on?"  she  asked  in 
a  stage  whisper. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  Everything  is  just  hor 
rid,"  returned  Vernon  desperately.  "There's 
Helen  talking  about  Mr.  Bruch  as  if  she  was  go 
ing  to  break  her  heart  if  his  children  don't  get 
well." 

"Helen  — Mr.  Brook ?"  questioned  the  house 
keeper,  with  interest  and  surprise. 

"Yes,  I  don't  know  what  she  means  by  it,  and 
I  don't  want  to.  If  there  is  n't  anything  more  I 
can  do  for  you,  I  am  going  to  take  a  book  down 
in  the  Barclay  woods  and  read." 

"So  do,  dear;  so  do,'1  replied  Persis  soothingly. 
"Well,  well,"  she  thought  after  the  girl  had  gone, 


352  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"I  wonder  if  Miss  Helen  has  found  her  fate  011 
the  island,  too.  Poor  child,  like  as  not  she 's 
havin'  some  pangs  of  her  own  and  beariii'  'em  as 
patiently  as  she  does  everythin'  else." 

The  housekeeper  was  shaking  her  head  over 
the  mingled  thoughts  that  possessed  her,  when 
Olin  paused  as  he  sometimes  did  at  her  window. 
His  healthful,  tanned  face  was  serious,  and  he 
eyed  Per  sis  inquiringly. 

"How  are  they  all?"  he  asked  in  a  subdued 
voice. 

"Well,  just  middlin',"  she  responded.  "Miss 
Josephine  's  in  bed,  the  best  place  for  her,  and 
Helen  's  takiii'  care  of  her." 

"I  hear  the  doctor  has  gone  back  to  Boston." 

"You  heard  right." 

"By  Jove,  it's  rough!  "  ejaculated  Randolph, 
setting  his  teeth  together,  and  looking  as  though 
he  longed  for  some  turn  of  affairs  which  would 

o 

make  muscle  of  any  account  in  setting  things 
straight. 

"'T  ain't  smooth,"  admitted  Miss  Applebee, 
rolling  out  pie-crust  on  a  board.  "Those  girls 
should  have  things  easy  if  I  had  the  order  in'  o' 
their  lives." 

"They  are  nice  girls,"  declared  Olin,  warmly. 

"So  I  told  you  some  time  since,''  returned  Per- 
sis  dryly,  "and"  —  she  turned  her  head  to  give 
him  an  impressive  look  as  he  stood,  his  elbows  on 
the  high  sill — "it's  my  belief  they've  narrered 
down  to  one,  sir.  There's  only  just  one  left, 


"J.  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET."  353 

and  if  some  folks  not  a  great  way  off  don't  look 
out,  they  '11  get  left  themselves." 

Color  rose  in  the  tanned  face  at  the  window, 
while  the  young  man  smiled  curiously  into  the 
earnest  eyes. 

"Persis,  it  is  my  impression  that  you  are  being 
severe  to  me." 

"Well,  ain't  you  a  great  feller!  "  returned  the 
housekeeper  with  open  scorn. 

"About  six  feet.  Would  you  mind  adding  to 
your  information  and  telling  me  which  choice  is 
reserved  for  Ilobson?  " 

"Hey?" 

"In  other  words,  which  one  of  the  three  graces 

is  left?" 

"That's  for  you  to  find  out,"  replied  Persis, 
laying  her  pastry  over  the  pie -plate  and  balancing 
it  on  one  deft  hand,  while  she  trimmed  off  its 
edges  with  the  other. 

"Do  you  know  you  've  made  me  rather  uncom 
fortable?"  asked  Olin,  after  a  reflective  pause. 

"Glad  to  hear  it,"  returned  the  other  with  a 
defiant,  rising  inflection.  "There  ain't  so  much 
comfort  on  the  island  to-day  that  you  should  have 
it  all." 

"Do  you  think  the  woman  who  has  made  most 
of  the  misery  will  be  likely  to  appear  here  again?  " 

"I  don't  know;  but  I'm  all  ready  for  her  if 
she  comes.  I  hain't  a  doubt  she  prowled  around 
here  yesterday  while  we  was  all  gone." 

"Would  you  like  to  have  me  stay  about  the 
premises?" 


354  DR.  LATIMEE. 

"Law,  no.  I  shan't  need  any  help,"  said  Miss 
Applebee,  an  ominous  sparkle  in  her  eyes. 

"If  she  should  come,  her  presence  ought  to  be 
kept  from  Miss  Josephine,"  suggested  Olin,  rather 
fearing  from  the  housekeeper's  expression  that  in 
such  an  emergency  her  excitement  might  carry 
her  away. 

"Teach  your  grandmother  how  to  drive  ducks," 
retorted  Persis,  an  extra  edge  being  given  to  her 
tone  by  the  fact  that  she  scorched  her  hand  as 
she  was  slipping  her  pie  into  the  little  oven. 

"Is  Miss  Vernon  upstairs,  too?"  asked  Ran 
dolph,  after  a  minute. 

"No,  she  has  taken  a  book  down  into  the  Bar 
clay  woods,"  responded  Persis  with  charitable 
explicitness.  "You  ain't  goin',  are  you?"  she 
added  sarcastically. 

"I  don't  see  that  I  can  be  of  any  service  here 
until  that  pie  is  baked,  anyway."  He  departed, 
and  as  he  was  walking  down  Maiden  Lane  his 
Aunt  Charlotte  spied  and  called  him. 

"Have  you  been  in  next  door?"  she  asked, 
coming  out  upon  her  back  piazza. 

"I  have  been  speaking  with  Persis.  Is  Aunt 
Agnes'  head  any  better?  " 

"Yes,  she  is  coming  out  of  it,  but  the  poor  dear 
has  been  dreadfully  shaken.  She  is  remorseful 
because  of  what  she  calls  her  selfishness  in  not 
breaking  the  news  more  easily  to  Josephine,  and 
she  is  as  much  crushed  by  the  doctor's  trouble  as 
though  it  were  her  own.  If  Agnes  has  a  fault,  it 


"A  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET."  355 

is  that  she  is  a  bit  morbid  about  anything  that 
concerns  Dr.  Latimer.  Well,"  added  Miss  Nor 
man,  looking  sharply  at  her  nephew,  "this  means 
a  great  change  in  the  prospects  of  the  Ivison  girls. 
They  would  all  have  profited  greatly  by  Jose 
phine's  marriage." 

"Yes,  but  of  course  they  have  no  thought  for 
that  now." 

"How  much  longer  are  you  thinking  of  stay- 
in£  on  the  island?"  asked  Miss  Charlotte  with 

o 

apparent  irrelevance. 

"Why?  Are  you  growing  tired  of  me?  "  asked 
her  nephew. 

"No;  but  I  have  been  thinking,"  Miss  Norman 
tried  to  feel  her  way  cautiously  on  ground  she  was 
not  sure  he  would  approve,  "that  of  late  you  have 
been  as  constantly  with  those  girls  as  Dickie  has." 

"Well,  why  not?" 

"A  young  man  doesn't  always  see  these  things 
right."  Miss  Charlotte  looked  away  from  the 
quizzical  eyes  and  adopted  a  virtuous  air.  "The 
Ivisons  have  no  protector,  and  it  is  only  natural 
that  a  woman  cognizant  of  their  movements  as  I 
am  should  take  thought  for  them.  I  would  sug 
gest  to  you,  Olin,  sorry  as  I  am  to  lose  one  day  of 
your  vacation,  that  you  spend  the  short  remainder 
of  it  elsewhere." 

"Why?     You  are  mysterious." 

"You  should  not  force  me  to  put  it  in  words, 
my  dear,"  returned  Miss  Charlotte  with  dignity; 
"but  since  you  will  have  plain  speaking,  I  will 


356  DR.  LATUIER. 

say  that  your  attentions,  though  I  believe  quite 
equally  divided,  might  have  the  effect  to  rouse 
expectations  in  one  of  those  girls." 

Randolph  smiled.  "Your  anxiety  doesn't  take 
the  form,  then,  of  fearing  that  I  might  be  falling 
into  an  unrequited  attachment?" 

"That  idea  is  simply  absurd." 

"Because  your  geese  are  such  swans,  I  sup 
pose." 

Miss  Norman  regarded  him  with  fond  admira 
tion  as  he  leaned,  tall  and  strong,  against  the  cor 
ner  post  of  the  piazza. 

"Partly  that,"  she  answered,  "and  partly  be 
cause  I  know  you  are  a  cool-headed  and  ambitious 
man,  and  would  hardly  be  in  danger  of  renouncing 
the  many  possibilities  open  to  you  for  the  sake  of 
a  sentiment  for  either  of  those  unknown  girls." 

"Their  status  is  satisfactory  to  Dr.  Latimer." 

"My  dear,"  —Miss  Norman  did  not  like  the 
serious  expression  which  had  come  into  her  ne 
phew's  face,  —  "Dr.  Latimer's  case  is  totally  dif 
ferent.  He  is  a  power  whose  action  nobody  would 
question.  He  has  everything  which  most  men  of 
your  age  have  yet  to  attain." 

"I  didn't  know  you  were  what  the  novels  call 
worldly,  Aunt  Charlotte."  Olin  regarded  her 
curiously. 

"I  deny  that  my  feeling  in  the  matter  is  any 
thing  but  reasonable  and  sensible,"  returned  Miss 
Norman  warmly.  "I  would  not  have  you  marry 
for  money  or  any  other  ignoble  motive,  but  we 


"A  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET."  357 

know  dozens  of  sweet,  educated,  well-connected, 
good  girls  who  could  bring  their  helpful  share  to 
the  partnership  which  marriage  is  —  could  give 
their  husbands  as  much  as  they  received;  in  other 
words,  any  one  of  them  would  be  a  suitable 
match." 

Randolph  shook  his  head.  "I  know  you  have 
my  interests  very  kindly  at  heart,  Aunt  Charlotte, 
and  I  am  afraid  I  shall  disappoint  you  by  declar 
ing  that  none  of  these  prudential  considerations 
have  a  particle  of  weight  with  me." 

"Then  I  am  very  much  surprised,"  returned 
Miss  Norman  severely.  "I  considered  you  a 
thoroughly  well-balanced  young  man.  Pray,  have 
you  any  definite  purpose  in  startling  me  in  this 
way?  " 

"I  advise  you  not  to  borrow  trouble,"  returned 
the  other  vaguely.  "I  only  thought  since  you 
had  advanced  your  ideas,  I  might  as  well  confess 
to  you  that  my  love  for  a  woman  and  hers  for  me 
will  be  my  sole  consideration  when  the  time  comes 
for  me  to  decide  upon  a  matrimonial  step.  I  am 
romantic,  Aunt  Charlotte,  much  as  it  may  surprise 
you,  and  think  that  nothing  the  world  can  offer 
can  compare  in  satisfaction  with  one  touch  of  the 
hand  from  the  woman  I  love." 

His  voice  had  a  ring  in  it  Miss  Norman  did  not 
know,  and  she  amazedly  regarded  the  face  which 
expressed  the  fervor  of  his  closing  words. 

"Dr.  Latimer  thought  as  you  do  twenty  years 
ago,  and  so  wrecked  his  life,"  she  answered  coldly. 


358  DR.  LATIMER. 

"Dr.  Latimer  thinks  as  I  do  now,"  lie  re 
turned. 

Miss  Norman  was  startled  and  resentful,  but 
she  knew  the  fruitlessness  of  any  attempt  to  move 
Olin,  who  was  entirely  independent  of  her,  —  in 
fact,  better  off  than  she  in  this  world's  goods. 
She  set  a  quick  guard  upon  her  tongue.  No  mat 
ter  what  fate  befell,  she  would  not  quarrel  with 
her  nephew;  and  as  she  looked  now  into  his 
strong,  handsome  face,  she  beheld  with  a  sudden 
fleeting  pang  of  conviction  the  sweetness  of  that 
crowning  joy  which  her  life  had  missed. 

"Trust  me,  Aunt  Charlotte,"  he  said,  coming 
near  and  putting  his  arm  around  her.  It  was  an 
unheard-of  caress  from  him  to  her,  and  her  moved 
heart  drank  in  the  warmth  of  his  smile.  The  rel 
atives  of  a  man  newly  in  love  frequently  pick  up 
in  uncomprehending  amazement  the  crumbs  which 
fall  from  his  overflowing  table. 

Miss  Norman  said  no  word,  but  as  she  looked 
after  him  a  few  minutes  later,  swinging  across  the 
field,  two  large  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks. 

Over  the  hill  went  Olin,  and  down  through  the 
road,  thinking  over  his  talk  with  Persis,  and  whis 
tling  softly  as  he  revolved  in  his  mind  the  disturb 
ing  information  she  had  imparted.  Emerging 
from  the  fragrant  avenue,  he  strode  past  the 
down-along  Martins',  through  another  field,  then 
jumping  a  fence  entered  the  Barclay  woods. 

His  steps  crackling  through  the  underbrush 
caused  Vernon  to  look  up  rather  uneasily,  and 


"A  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET."  359 

when  he  caught  sight  of  her  she  was  gazing  with 
big,  apprehensive  eyes  in  his  direction,  while  the 
closed  book  in  her  lap  had  not  the  air  of  having 
successfully  claimed  her  attention. 

She  bit  her  lip  at  sight  of  him,  and  put  up  one 
hand  to  her  disordered  hair. 

"Couldn't  you  get  away  from  your  friends  any 
farther  than  this?"  he  asked  reproachfully. 

"It  seems  it  was  not  far  enough,"  she  returned. 

*'  To  say  why  girls  act  so  or  so 
Or  don't,  'ould  be  presumin'," 

quoted  Olin.  "I  am  not  going  away  just  for  the 
sake  of  one  snub,  after  having  had  such  a  search 
for  you,"  and  coming  near  he  remained  standing, 
experimentally.  "Did  you  really  come  here  to 
secure  solitude?" 

"I  came  here  to  cry,"  answered  Vernon. 

"  Well,  don't  stop  on  my  account.  Let  me  be 
handkerchief -holder,"  he  returned  persuasively, 
sitting  down  near  her. 

"I  haven't  begun  yet,"  said  Vernon  with  dig 
nity. 

"What  hour  had  you  set  for  commencing?" 
inquired  Olin  respectfully. 

"You  are  shamefully  unsympathetic,"  she  re 
turned. 

"Indeed  I  'm  not.  I  am  envious.  The  last 
twenty -four  hours  have  been  so  miserable  that  if 
weeping  were  in  my  line  it  would  have  been  a 
welcome  relief.  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  what 


360  DR.  LATIMEE. 

thoughts  you  found  diverting  enough  to  postpone 
the  other  occupation." 

As  he  spoke  Randolph  looked  at  the  girl  so 
strangely  that  she  wondered. 

"If  I  should  gratify  your  curiosity  you  would  n't 
like  it,"  she  replied. 

"I  dare  say  not,"  he  answered,  setting  his  teeth, 
"but  if  you  don't  mind  I  would  rather  hear  just 
the  same." 

His  face  was  so  serious  that  Vernon  wondered 
still  more.  "At  your  own  peril,  then." 

"At  my  own  peril." 

"Very  well.  I  was  thinking  what  a  lovely 
world  this  would  be  for  women  if  there  were  n't 
any  men  in  it." 

Randolph's  face  grew  radiant.  "Then  it  is 
Helen  !  "  he  ejaculated,  sending  his  hat  whizzing 
up  between  the  tall  firs,  and  before  its  return  lift 
ing  Vernon 's  hand  and  impulsively  kissing  it. 

The  girl  blushed,  but  stared  at  him  in  such 
genuine  amazement  that  he  gave  a  short,  excited 
laugh. 

"Never  mind;  just  an  attack  of  emotional  in 
sanity —  hereditary  in  our  family.  Go  on,"  ea 
gerly;  "you  're  a  man-hater.  Well?" 

"Not —  not  exactly,"  returned  Vernon,  cover 
ing  her  cheek  with  a  cool  hand.  "Perhaps  they 
mean  well  enough,  but  they  make  us  so  much 
trouble.  Think  of  Josephine.  Why,  you  ought 
to  see  her.  She  looks  as  if  all  her  color  and 
sparlde  had  been  washed  out.  She  is  as  limp  !  " 


"A  BEAUTIFUL  SECRET.".  361 

"Poor  girl,"  replied  Randolph  fervently. 

"And  you  never  came  near  us  all  yesterday 
afternoon  and  evening,"  went  on  Yernon  slowly, 
speaking  rather  hesitatingly  on  account  of  a  force 
and  glow  in  his  face  which  she  did  not  understand, 
and  because  her  heart  was  still  fluttering  from 
that  burning  kiss  on  her  hand. 

"Did  you  miss  me?"  asked  Olin  eagerly,  and 
the  girl  began  to  pulsate  all  over  at  his  insistent 
tone  and  look. 

Her  answer  was  cool  and  deliberate.  "I 
thought  it  very  imneighborly  in  you." 

"I  was  afraid  to  come.  You  must  know  that. 
I  didn't  want  to  bore  Miss  Josephine,  and  al 
though  I  scouted  about  occasionally,  I  caught  no 
glimpse  of  you,  so  finally  I  went  sailing.  The  sea 
was  rough  and  the  water  came  in  at  every  plunge. 
It  gave  me  something  to  do,  and  then  I  put  in  the 
rest  of  the  time  thinking  about  my  secret." 

He  paused  so  long  that  Vernon  had  to  speak. 

"Oh,  have  you  one?  "  she  asked  indifferently. 

"Yes.  You  remember  you  said  the  island  was 
a  beautiful  secret.  Well,  mine  is  still  more  beau 
tiful." 

He  leaned  toward  her  on  one  elbow  and  looked 
up  into  her  face. 

She  shrank  against  the  tree -trunk  by  which  she 
was  sitting  and  turned  her  eyes  away. 

"Where  is  your  woman's  curiosity?"  he  asked, 
after  waiting  vainly  for  her  to  speak. 

"You  know  I  told  you  I  don't  like  secrets,"  she 
answered  with  an  effort. 


362  DR.  LATIMER. 

"Ah,  but  that,  you  said,  was  when  you  were 
not  in  them.  You  are  in  this  one.  It  is  you  who 
make  it  beautiful.  Yernon,  darling,"  his  hand 
closed  over  hers  again,  "I'll  tell  you  my  secret, 
and  it  is  a  life-and-death  matter  with  me  whether 
or  no  you  like  it,  for  it  is  that  I  love  you." 

And  all  the  still  wood  seemed  to  sing  with  the 
refrain,  "I  love  you;  I  love  you,"  as  Vernon  an 
swered  him  with  her  sweet,  frank  eyes,  forgetting 
in  that  first  blissful  moment  that  any  other  woman 
was  less  happy. 

For  she  was  the  youngest  princess,  and  all  the 
best  gifts  come  to  her. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   IVISON    CONQUEST. 

AGNES  NORMAN  had  dressed  and  was  sitting  in 
the  upper  room  of  the  Nautilus  when  Olin  came 
home.  She  gave  an  affirmative  reply  to  his  re 
quest  to  come  up,  and  when  his  beaming  face 
appeared,  she  instinctively  increased  the  heroic 
effort  she  had  been  making  to  throw  off  her  de 
pression. 

Kandolph  on  his  part  at  sight  of  her  tried  to 
veil  his  happiness  and  constrain  himself  to  a  mood 
more  suited  to  hers. 

"  It  does  me  good  only  to  look  at  you,  Olin,'* 
she  said  wistfully. 

"  I  wish  I  were  not  so  helpless  to  remove  your 
trouble,"  he  returned,  taking  the  chair  beside  her. 

"I  am  sure  things  will  look  a  little  brighter 
when  I  get  out  of  doors  again.  I  shall  go  down 
stairs  soon." 

"  You  have  had  a  hard  pull,"  said  Olin  sympa 
thetically. 

"  Yes,  but  my  poor  Josephine  !  Your  face  as 
you  came  up  the  stairs  just  now  was  like  a  sun 
beam.  I  don't  want  to  bring  you  under  a  cloud. 
Talk  to  me  of  what  you  have  been  doing  and 


364  DR.  LATIMER. 

whom  you  have  been  seeing  to  get  you  into  such  a 
radiant  mood." 

"  May  I  ?  "  eagerly.  "  I  am  afraid  it  will  sound 
very  selfish,  but  Aunt  Charlotte  is  out  and  I  want 
to  tell  you  before  she  returns.  I  have  been  ask 
ing  Vemoii  to  marry  me." 

Agnes  smiled  at  him  thoughtfully.  "  I  did  not 
expect  this.  I  did  not  know  you  were  serious. 
You  both  seem  so  young  to  me." 

"  Well,"  smiling  back,  "  is  that  all  you  are  go 
ing  to  say  ?  " 

Miss  Norman  put  her  arm  around  his  shoulders. 
"  I  am  going  to  kiss  you,"  which  she  did,  her 
nephew  returning  the  salute  warmly.  "  Then  I 
must  say  that  I  think  Vernon  Ivison  is  a  very  for 
tunate  girl.  She  has  won  my  best  young  man,  and 
just  this  minute  I  'm  a  little  bit  jealous." 

"  Ah !  you  don't  know  what  that  girl  is,"  ex 
claimed  Randolph  earnestly,  and  went  on  with 
that  devout  eulogy  upon  the  unrivaled  attributes 
of  his  lady  with  which  a  lover  usually  favors  his 
nearest  of  kin,  who,  if  he  or  she  be  sympathetically 
inclined,  receives  the  confidence  with  respectful 
seriousness  externally,  however  many  mental  reser 
vations  may  be  felt. 

"  Vernon  is  a  very  sweet,  sincere  girl,"  replied 
Agnes,  when  it  again  became  her  privilege  to 
speak,  "  and  to  be  the  first  love  of  such  a  fresh,  un 
spoiled  heart  is  good  fortune  indeed.  However, 
your  Aunt  Charlotte  "  — 

"  Hang  Aunt  Charlotte !  I  won't  hear  one  word 
against " — 


THE  I  VIS  ON  CONQUEST.  365 

"  Stop,  Olin.  Love  ought  to  reform  even  your 
foibles  ;  so  I  shall  expect  you  to  become  very  rea 
sonable.  Your  Aunt  Charlotte  is  absolutely  de- 
roted  to  you.  Common  gratitude  should  suggest 
that  you  be  patient  with  her  now  if  she  does  dis 
play  any  coolness  or  disappointment.  You  must 
admit  that  Fate  has  played  her  a  strange  trick  in 
giving  her  one  of  the  Ivisons  for  a  niece.  Had 
this  calamity  not  come  to  Dr.  Latimer  everything 
would  have  been  different.  As  it  is,  I  dare  say 
Charlotte  may  feel  reluctant  to  sanction  your  step  ; 
but  I  shall  use  all  my  influence,  and  your  best 
weapon  will  be  in  this  case,  as  in  all  cases,  love, 
'the  greatest  thing  in  the  world.'  Be  kind  to  her, 
Olin.  You  young  men  do  not  know  the  strength 
with  which  we  childless  women  twine  our  heart's 
affections  about  you  who  give  us  our  nearest  reali 
zation  of  motherhood.  Don't  wound  Aunt  Char 
lotte.  Be  gentle  and  patient  now.  The  end  will 
be  the  same.  Of  course  she  is  helpless  to  interfere 
with  your  movements,  and  you  will  be  glad  to  re 
member  afterward  that  you  did  not  hurt  her.  She 
may  be  affected  by  her  prejudice  or  ambition  at 
first,  but  all  that  will  pass." 

"  I  rely  on  you  to  be  kind  to  Vernon,"  said  Ran 
dolph.  "It  is  hard  for  her  to  have  her  sisters 
under  a  cloud  at  this  time ;  but  she  loves  me,  Aunt 
Agnes  ; "  Olin  added  this  with  a  child-like  humility 
which  seemed  to  come  from  a  part  of  his  nature 
which  his  aunt  had  never  suspected.  "  I  did  not 
suppose  that  anybody  could  care  for  me  so  much 
as  Vernon  does." 


366  DR.  LATIMER. 

Affectionate  pride  in  him  rose  to  Miss  Norman's 
lips  ;  but  she  valued  this  new  grace  in  the  young 
man  too  much  to  give  it  voice. 

"  Determine  to  deserve  her  confidence,"  she  re 
plied,  patting  the  shoulder  upon  which  her  hand 
still  rested,  "  and  then  you  will  keep  that  inestima 
ble  treasure  of  love  always.  I  have  looked  upon  a 
great  number  of  married  lives,  Olin.  Most  peo 
ple  rush  into  that  state  to  be  made  happy.  That 
is  the  quicksand  in  which  their  hopes  sink.  Some 
body  has  well  said  that  4  marriage  is  only  a  cere 
mony  pledging  two  persons  to  charity  for  the 
failings  of  each  other.'  I  wish  more  couples  real 
ized  that.  Then  the  happy  hopefulness  with 
which  they  start  out  would  stand  better  the  strains 
that  come  to  every  life,  and  there  would  be  less 
bitter  disappointment." 

Poor  Vernon,  when  she  parted  from  her  lover, 
found  that  her  courage  was  oozing  away.  As  she 
stepped  up  on  the  Sea  Shell  piazza  it  suddenly 
seemed  as  though  she  had  done  an  unfeeling  thing 
to  yield  to  a  wealth  of  happiness  at  this  time.  She 
realized  all  that  Josephine  had  suffered  and  was 
suffering  as  she  had  not  before,  and  felt  like  a 
guilty  thing  as  she  entered  the  house. 

Fersis  noted  her  serious,  troubled  face. 

"  Did  Mr.  Randolph  find  you  ?  "  she  asked  care 
lessly,  and  then,  observing  the  girl's  sudden,  con 
scious  blush,  the  good  soul  became  afflicted  with 
apprehension  lest  the  last  of  the  beloved  orphans 


THE  IV  IS  ON  CONQUEST.  367 

had  reaped  only  sorrow  from  the  summer  which 
opened  so  promisingly. 

"  He  might  let  you  have  a  little  peace,  I  think," 
she  grumbled,  thinking  to  console  at  least  Yenion's 
pride  if  she  could  not  heal  her  heart ;  "  always 
wantin'  to  know  where  you  are  and  taggin'  of  you 
'round.  I  'm  out  of  all  patience  with  him." 

Vernon  bit  her  lip  and  looked  furtively  at  Miss 
Applebee. 

"  I  like  to  have  him  follow  me,"  she  answered 
softly,  with  a  half-frightened  glance  toward  the 
stairway. 

"  Oh,  well,  what  does  it  amount  to,  anyway  ?  " 
returned  Persis,  startled  by  this  declaration.  "  He 
ain't  anythin'  so  very  great.  His  aunts  think  he 's 
goin'  to  set  the  river  afire,  but  law,  I  guess  you 
could  find  somebody  on  every  block  in  Boston 
smarter 'n  he  is.  I  wouldn't  think  very  much 
about  him  if  I  was  you." 

Miss  Applebee  was  uncomfortably  conscious 
that  she  was  locking  the  stable  door  after  having 
done  all  in  her  power  to  liberate  the  steed. 

"  I  should  n't  find  anybody  that  I  thought  any 
smarter,"  returned  Vernon.  Then  because  an  ir 
repressible  wave  of  emotion  passed  over  her  and 
she  must  make  some  demonstration,  she  squeezed 
Persists  substantial  arm  and  the  lovelight  kindled 
her  eyes. 

The  housekeeper  stared  at  her  blankly.  "  I  tell 
you  he  ain't  any  great  things,"  she  said  mechani 
cally. 


u 

u 


368  DR.  LAT1MEE. 

"  I  am  sorry  you  think  so,"  replied  the  girl,  her 
happiness  overflowing  and  momentarily  carrying 
away  her  scruples,  "  because  I  am  engaged  to  him 
and"- 

Ile  's  a   splendid   feller !  "  ejaculated  Persis. 

There  ain't  any  "  — 

"  Hush —  sh  !  "  exclaimed  Vernon  in  a  warning 
whisper,  pointing  above.  "  The  girls." 

Miss  Applebee  threw  an  arm  around  her,  swept 
her  off  into  the  kitchen  and  closed  the  door  behind 
them. 

Olin  Randolph  had  an  errand  at  Orr's  Island 
that  day.  He  determined  to  accomplish  it  directly 
after  dinner,  thereby  leaving  Agnes  a  clear  field  in 
which  to  impart  her  news  to  his  Aunt  Charlotte, 
and  also  that  he  might  return  in  time  to  take  Ver 
non  sailing,  as  he  had  promised  when  they  parted. 

"Walking  to  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  he  bor 
rowed  a  "  bo't  "  from  up-along  Martin  and  pulled 
across  the  strip  of  water  that  divided  him  from 
his  goal.  As  he  approached  Orr's  he  observed  a 
knot  of  men  talking  excitedly  near  the  dock,  and 
as  he  cast  a  glance  toward  them  one  of  their  num 
ber  perceived  him. 

"There's  Olin,"  cried  one;  "he'll  know." 
These  neighbors,  having  seen  Randolph  grow  from 
boy  to  man,  always  used  his  Christian  name. 

u  Ye  fool !  "  exclaimed  Captain  Gregg,  who  was 
one  of  the  group,  savagely  scowling  at  the  speaker. 
"  D'  ye  need  anybody  to  tell  ye  ?  " 

Olin  paused. 


TIIE  IVISON  CONQUEST.  369 

"  Ther  's  been  a  queer-actin'  woman  'round  here 
fer  days,"  explained  the  first  speaker,  somewhat 
abashed,  but  addressing  Randolph  in  the  island 
drawl,  "  an'  this  mawnin'  she 's  ben  cuttin'  up 
lii-gh;  crazier 'n  a  loon.  Cap'n  Gregg  had  just 
come  over  in  his  flo't  when  she  come  down  t'  the 
dock.  She  cawt  sight  of  him  and  ordered  him  to 
row  her  over  t'  see  Dr.  Latimer.  She  said,  if 
you  '11  believe  it,  she  said  she  was  Dr.  Latimer's 
wife."  The  speaker  raised  the  rough  back  of  his 
hand  to  his  mouth  as  he  glanced  at  scowling  Cap 
tain  Gregg,  some  memory  seeming  to  touch  his 
sense  of  humor  uncontrollably. 

Randolph  quickly  turned  his  serious  face  in  the 
same  direction.  "  What  did  you  do,  Cap'n  ?  " 

"  I  said  she  was  a  li-ar,"  came  the  grim,  drawl 
ing  response. 

"  She  got  mahdder  'n  thunder,"  pursued  the 
narrator.  "  Says  she,  '  Then  I  '11  take  your  bo't 
myself,'  says  she,  an'  Cap'n  Gregg  spoke  back,  says 
he,  '  B'  Judas,  you  better  come  tr-y  it.' ':  This 
time  the  guffaw  burst  forth  in  spite  of  the  sober, 
half -frightened  faces  of  the  others  of  the  group. 

"  She  run  at  me  like  a  cat,"  declared  old  Gregg. 
"  I  stepped  out  o'  the  way  an'  she  turned  after  me 
an'  then  seemed  to  change  her  mind,  an'  jumped 
squar'  into  the  water." 

"  She  did  ?     What  then  ?  "  ejaculated  Olin. 

"  Oh,"  growled  Gregg.  "  I  did  n't  have  time  to 
think,  so  I  was  fool  enough  to  drop  into  the  flo't 
an'  h'ist  her  out." 


370  DR.  LATIMER. 

Olin's  brow  contracted.  "  You  saved  her !  "  he 
exclaimed,  while  a  pang  of  ungovernable  disap 
pointment  wrung  him. 

"  He  hauled  her  in  'fore  she  'd  gone  down 
twice,"  explained  the  first  narrator  eagerly,  "  but 
when  we  got  her  on  dry  land  she  was  dead  all  the 
same !  " 

"  Dead !  "  repeated  Randolph,  feeling  himself 
flush  under  the  revulsion  of  feeling. 

"  Yes.     Dawcter  said  't  was  heart  disease." 

"  How  long  ago  ?  "  asked  Olin. 

"  'Bout  an  hour,  I  guess." 

"  Where  have  you  taken  the  body  ?  " 

"  Up  yawnder  't  the  store." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  it." 

"  I  '11  take  ye,"  volunteered  the  Orr's  islander, 
and  they  turned  away,  despite  Captain  Gregg's 
contempt  of  such  undue  interest  in  a  demented 
member  of  a  superfluous  sex. 

Olin's  return  later  to  the  Nautilus  was  accom 
plished  under  such  excitement  that  he  scarcely  felt 
the  ground  beneath  his  feet.  Even  his  love  affair 
was  pushed  to  a  secondary  place,  so  that  the  re 
pression  and  stern  martyrdom  in  Aunt  Charlotte's 
face  as  she  met  him  were  wholly  unnoticed.  He 
seized  her  by  the  hand  and  drew  her  into  the  room 
where  Agnes  was  sitting,  and  there  he  told  his 
news,  which  threw  the  latter  into  a  fit  of  trembling 
and  caused  the  elder  Miss  Norman  to  feel  that  a 
special  dispensation  had  been  granted  her  to  make 
Olin's  engagement  bearable.  Her  mind  instantly 


THE  IVISON  CONQUEST.  371 

vaulted  into  a  future  where  she  heard  herself  say 
ing  complacently  to  some  inquiring  friend :  "  Oh, 
yes;  Mrs.  Randolph  and  Mrs.  Latimer  are  sis 
ters." 

"  I  can't  seem  to  think,  Olin,"  said  Agnes  with 
a  tremulous  smile.  "  What  shall  we  do  first?  " 

"  Plain  enough,"  he  answered  cheerily.  "  1 
shall  throw  a  few  things  into  a  bag,  go  up  to  Port 
land,  and  hang  around  the  telegraph  office  until  I 
can  bring  Dr.  Latimer  back  with  me." 

"  How  about  telling  the  girls  ? "  asked  Miss 
Charlotte. 

"I  wouldn't,"  replied  Agnes.  "I  have  been 
sitting  with  Josephine.  She  is  in  a  state  of  lassi 
tude,  which  after  all  she  has  endured  is  better  for 
her  than  suspense.  If  we  could  be  sure  of  com 
municating  with  the  doctor  soon  it  might  do.  But 
we  don't  know  certainly  when  the  message  will 
find  him,  and  my  opinion  is  we  had  better  wait 
a  little.  The  poor  child  has  received  enough 
shocks." 

"  Then  if  we  are  not  to  tell  her,  I  suppose  it  will 
be  best  to  keep  it  from  all,  even  Persis,"  suggested 
Miss  Norman. 

"  It  hardly  seems  right  to  Vernon,"  said  Kan- 
dolph,  "for  me  to  leave  her  to-day  without  an  ex 
planation." 

Miss  Charlotte  saw  her  opportunity  to  distin 
guish  herself  triumphantly  with  her  beloved 
nephew.  She  shrank  a  little  from  such  heights 
of  magnanimity,  but  with  a  mighty  effort  and  sus- 


372  DR.  LATIMEE. 

tained  by  the  thought  of  Dr.  Latimer,  after  a  mo 
ment's  wavering  she  took  the  step. 

"  Agnes  has  been  telling  me  something  wonder 
ful,"  she  said  with  an  arch  look.  "  I  might  have 
preferred  to  hear  it  from  your  own  lips,  but  I  am 
very  glad  you  are  happy,  dear,  and  we  will  try  to 
make  Vernon  love  us." 

She  was  repaid  by  the  hearty  manner  in  which 
Olin  kissed  and  thanked  her,  and  was  incited  to 
even  greater  deeds. 

"  I  think  we  might  take  Vernon  in  here  and  ex 
plain  matters  to  her,"  she  said.  "  No  doubt  she  is 
discreet  enough  not  to  betray  the  secret  until  the 
proper  moment." 

This  plan  was  accordingly  pursued.  Olin,  in 
stead  of  taking  his  fiancee  sailing,  brought  her 
into  his  aunt's  cottage,  where,  en  famille,  she  was 
put  in  possession  of  the  news.  That  was  a  su 
premely  happy  hour  to  Yernon  before  Olin's  boat 
went.  His  aunts  were  equally  cordial  to  her,  and 
her  new  position  of  dignity  was  made  very  sweet 
and  natural. 

"  I  have  not  dared  tell  my  sisters  of  my  engage 
ment  yet,"  she  said.  "  Of  course  it  was  not  pos 
sible  under  the  circumstances,  and  now  a  great 
burden  seems  lifted  from  me  as  well  as  Jose 
phine." 

Vernon  went  to  the  boat  with  her  lover,  then  to 
Captain  Amos'  store  for  the  mail.  Finding  a 
letter  in  Dr.  Latimer's  hand  for  her  sister,  she 
took  her  way  to  the  latter's  room. 


THE  IVISON  CONQUEST.  373 

Josephine  was  sitting  in  a  rocking-chair  looking 
out  on  the  sea.  The  day  had  dragged  by  like  a 
weary  lifetime.  She  had  been  watching  for  this 
letter  ever  since  the  boat's  whistle,  and  now  drank 
in  the  closely  written  sentences  winch  were  like 
life-giving  nectar  to  her  drooping  soul.  The  pages 
were  full  of  cheerful,  loving  talk  and  spoke  of 
some  books  the  writer  had  sent  to  her.  Josephine 
looked  up  from  it  with  a  bewildered  brow. 

Vernon  was  regarding  her  wistfully. 

"He  writes  so  naturally,"  she  said,  "  I  cannot 
realize  that  this  is  going  on  forever.'' 

"  I  don't  believe  it  will,  Josephine,"  returned 
the  other  gently.  "  I  would  try  to  look  upon  it  as 
a  test  which  if  I  proved  brave  and  worthy  would 
be  removed  in  time." 

Josephine  gazed  at  her  young  sister  in  thought 
ful  surprise.  What  was  there  in  her  face  that  had 
not  been  there  yesterday  ?  "  This  trouble  has  ma 
tured  her,"  she  thought. 

"  Come  here,  Vernon.  I  like  to  look  at  you," 
she  said. 

Vernon  obeyed  with  heightened  color  and  sat 
down  at  the  other's  feet. 

"  I  have  sent  Helen  out  of  doors,  and  I  'd  like 
you  to  stay  with  me  a  little  while." 

"  I  want  to.  I  was  going  to,  anyway,"  returned 
Vernon. 

The  truth  which  would  have  power  to  send  Jose 
phine  into  transports  of  hopefulness  fairly  trembled 
on  her  lips ;  but  her  sister's  face  easily  dissuaded 


374  DR.  LATIMER. 

her  from  assuming  such  a  responsibility.  Jose 
phine  seemed  actually  to  have  grown  thin ;  and 
that  dazed  look  of  eye  and  brow  troubled  even 
Vernon's  inexperience. 

She  leaned  her  head  lovingly  against  the  other's 
knee,  and  one  of  Josephine's  hands  smoothed  the 
brown-gold  waves  of  hair,  while  with  the  other  she 
held  her  letter  and  re-read  it. 

The  next  morning  Helen  came  into  the  Norman 
cottage  with  a  troubled  face. 

"  Josephine  did  not  sleep  at  all  last  night,"  she 
said  to  Agnes.  "  I  am  anxious  about  her.  I 
don't  think  my  right  course  is  to  keep  her  here 
amid  all  these  dear  associations.  I  am  thinking 
of  taking  her  right  back  to  Boston.  Don't  you 
think  we  had  better  go  to  Portland  this  afternoon, 
spend  the  night,  and  then  "  — 

"  Tell  her,  Agnes  ;  mercy  do  !  "  exclaimed  Miss 
Charlotte,  who  was  also  in  the  kitchen,  where  the 
interview  was  held. 

"  Yes,  Helen,"  said  the  other  gently,  "  sit  down 
a  minute,  dear.  A  very  wonderful  thing  has  hap 
pened.  That  poor,  misguided,  stormy  life  which 
came  between  Josephine  and  her  happiness  is 
ended  at  last.  The  woman  died  at  Orr's  Island 
yesterday." 

The  sudden  excitement  which  showed  in  the 
girl's  face  made  Agnes  proceed. 

"  You  can  see  by  its  effect  upon  you  what  it 
will  be  to  Josephine  to  hear  this." 

"  Oh,   it   cannot  do  her  harm,  —  nothing  but 


THE  IVISON  CONQUEST.  375 

good !  "  burst  forth  Helen,  her  countenance  illu 
mined. 

"Yes,  perhaps,"  returned  Agnes  cautiously; 
"if  we  were  only  sure  Dr.  Latimer  would  be 
easily  found.  He  is  a  physician,  and,  better  than 
that,  a  wonderfully  wise  man  and  Josephine's 
lover.  Wait  for  him  a  little.  I  have  been  calcu 
lating,  and  if  Olin's  telegram  reached  him  last 
night  he  will  arrive  here  on  the  four  o'clock  boat 
this  afternoon.  Of  course  you  must  be  the  judge, 
Helen,  but"  — 

"  If  there  is  a  possibility  of  Dr.  Latimer's  being 
here  so  soon  as  that,  I  would  rather  leave  it  all  to 
him,"  replied  Helen,  her  face  beaming.  "  Oh," 
in  her  relief  throwing  an  arm  around  Miss  Char 
lotte,  who  happened  to  be  standing  nearest,  "  how 
can  we  be  thankful  enough ! "  and  the  tired  girl, 
dropping  her  head  on  Charlotte's  shoulder,  broke 
down  and  wept. 

All  that  was  kind  and  sympathetic  in  Miss  Nor 
man's  nature  rose  as  she  embraced  Dickie's 
teacher.  Certainly  her  relations  toward  the  Ivi- 
sons  seemed  to  be  forming  in  a  new  direction, — 
one  that  was  rather  restful  after  all. 

Agnes  Norman  went  to  the  dock  that  afternoon 
to  meet  the  boat.  How  her  heart  beat  as  the 
Merriconeag  puffed  into  sight  in  the  distance ! 
And  how  her  eyes  were  strained  to  make  out  the 
faces  on  its  dock  as  it  approached  from  Harps- 
well! 

The   seconds    were  minutes   and    the  minutes 


376  DE.  LATIMEE. 

hours,  but  the  boat's  bell  rang  at  last  and  Agnes' 
heart  leaped  as  she  saw  the  two  men  she  was  hop 
ing  for. 

Olin  stepped  off  first,  then  she  bit  her  lip  and 
her  eyes  swam  as  Dr.  Latimer's  hand  clasped 
hers  and  the  strong,  serene  face,  pale  but  radiant, 
looked  down  at  her. 

Not  a  word  passed  between  them  until  all  three 
were  ascending  the  hill. 

"  Can  it  be  that  it  was  day  before  yesterday 
that  I  was  here  ?  "  said  the  doctor  quietly.  "  I 
have  been  living  outside  the  measurements  of  time, 
evidently.  Does  Josephine  know  I  have  come  ?  " 

"  No,  we  could  not  be  sure  when  you  would  ar 
rive,  and  so  thought  best  not  to  excite  her." 

"Then  she  still  knows  nothing  of  what  has 
occurred  ?  " 

"  Nothing.     "We  feared  to  tell  her." 

"Is  she  so  ill?" 

"  I  do  not  exactly  understand  her  condition  ;  but 
we  concluded  it  was  best  to  leave  all  revelation 
to  you." 

"  Then  will  you  precede  me,  please,  Agnes,  and 
tell  her  that  I  am  coming  to  see  her  ?  " 

Miss  Norman  nodded  and  hurried  on.  It  was 
one  of  the  unusual  hot  afternoons  which  in  Au 
gust  sometimes  precede  the  coolness  of  evening 
at  the  island,  and,  walking  through  Maiden  Lane 
around  to  the  front  of  the  cottage,  Agnes  saw, 
through  an  open  window,  Josephine,  white  as  a 
lily  in  face  and  gown,  lying  on  the  divan. 


THE  IVISOX  CONQUEST.  377 

She  entered  the  house  and  sat  down  beside  the 
girl. 

"  It  is  warm,"  she  remarked,  fanning  herself. 

"  I  suppose  so,  out  of  doors,"  replied  Josephine. 

"  Did  Dr.  Latimer  tell  you  that  he  meant  to 
come  to  the  island  to  visit  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  returned  the  girl,  slowly  shaking  her 
head. 

"  I  think  he  will.  I  have  looked  for  him  this 
very  day." 

Josephine  regarded  her  with  sombre  eyes. 
"  That  would  not  be  his  way,"  she  said. 

"  I  see  no  reason  why  he  should  not  visit  you. 
Would  n't  you  like  to  see  him?  " 

"Like  to!  "a  transforming  smile  slowly  illu 
mined  the  white  face,  and  before  it  had  died  away 
Dr.  Latimer  came  in  at  the  door. 

Agnes  slipped  out,  but  not  before  she  had  heard 
the  dry  sob  which  caught  in  Josephine's  bosom  as 
she  raised  herself,  eagerly  held  out  her  arms  and 
dropped  them.  She  looked  at  him  with  repressed 
expectancy. 

He  came  near  and  knelt  by  her  couch,  she  still 
looking  at  him  incredulously,  doubtfully.  It  was 
so  unlike  him  to  put  his  hand  to  the  plow  and 
look  back.  What  did  he  wish  her  to  do  ?  What 
was  his  plan  ? 

He  looked  upon  the  ravages  of  sleeplessness  and 
woe  in  her  face  with  a  world  of  compassionate 
tenderness.  "  Josephine,  darling,"  he  said,  and 
took  her  in  his  arms,  where  she  sighed  so  deeply 


378  DIL  LATIMER. 

that  he  feared  she  had  fainted ;  but  her  own  low 
voice  reassured  him  :  — 

"  Is  it  really  not  a  dream  ?  " 

"  It  is  real  that  I  am  here  and  holding  you,  my 
love.  That  is  all  that  is  real.  Would  you  not 
like  to  believe  the  rest  a  dream,  —  all  the  wretch 
edness  and  separation  ?  You  may,  for  it  is  over 
and  past  as  though  it  had  never  been.  I  have 
come  to  stay  with  you  as  long  as  we  both  live." 

A  minute  afterward  there  was  hurrying  to  and 
fro  in  the  Sea  Shell,  and  Persis  and  the  girls,  as 
they  hastened  to  do  the  doctor's  bidding,  devoutly 
blessed  the  prudence  which  had  caused  it  to  be 
Dr.  Latimer's  breast  and  no  one's  else  upon  which 
Josephine  was  now  lying  in  a  dead  faint.  Her 
sisters,  the  minute  their  watching  eyes  descried  his 
form  coming  across  the  field,  had  told  Persis  all 
that  had  occurred,  and  upon  hearing  him  call,  the 
three  rushed  down  from  above  stairs. 

Excess  of  happiness  could  not  prostrate  for  long 
a  woman  of  Josephine's  vitality.  When  half  an 
hour  later  Olin  ventured  to  approach  the  house, 
looking  up  at  the  windows  for  an  encouraging 
sign  from  Vernon,  he  was  welcomed  at  the  door 
by  the  girl  herself,  who  began  to  have  time  now 
to  think  of  her  own  affairs  and  blushed  as  she  wel 
comed  him. 

Randolph  came  in  and  found  Dr.  Latimer  sit 
ting  on  the  divan  with  Josephine,  whose  happy 
face  had  gained  a  little  color. 

Persis  and  Helen  were  flitting  back  and  forth 


THE  IVISON  CONQUEST.  379 

making  preparations  for  tea,  and  occasionally  re 
freshing  themselves  by  a  satisfactory  look  at  the 
reunited  lovers. 

The  housekeeper  hastened  to  Olin.  "Well,  at 
last  I  can  congratulate  you,"  she  said,  shaking  him 
by  the  hand.  "  This  poor  child,"  seizing  Vernon's 
arm  and  turning  to  the  others,  "  has  had  to  hide 
her  happiness  under  a  bushel  the  best  way  she 
could." 

"  Oh,  girls,"  said  Yernon,  for  her  sisters  were 
regarding  her  wonderingly,  "  we  could  n't  ask  your 
advice,  or  permission,  or  anything ;  could  we, 
Olin  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  impossible,"  returned  that  young 
man  as  he  slipped  an  arm  around  her. 

"Child!"  exclaimed  Helen,  coming  up  and  in 
voluntarily  trying  to  draw  her  sister  away,  "  have 
you  been  getting  into  mischief  while  I  was  so  pre 
occupied  ?  I  like  you,  Olin  —  but  Josephine,  she 
is  too  young,  don't  you  think  so  —  don't  you,  Dr. 
Latimer?" 

The  doctor  had  already  risen.  "  This  is  not  a 
good  day  to  ask  me  anything  that  requires  a  cool 
head,"  he  replied.  "  I  think  I  can't  have  watched 
you  two  very  closely,"  he  added,  smiling  on  them 
both. 

"  I  beg  you  won't  apologize,"  returned  Olin 
gravely.  "  I  think  we  have  managed  quite  as  well 
as  though  you  had,  and  nothing  is  needed  now  to 
complete  our  happiness  except  the  blessing  of  this 
company." 


380  DR.  LATIMEB. 

This  made  Helen  smile  through  some  unrea- 
sonable  tears  which  were  not  dried  when  she  saw 
Veriion  folded  affectionately  in  Josephine's  arms. 
Her  thoughts  flew  to  the  far-away  ship  which  was 
cleaving  the  billows  too  slowly  for  the  most  anx 
ious  heart  on  board. 

The  days  seemed  long  ere  the  message  came  at 
last  which  the  quiet  girl  awaited  with  concealed 
eagerness. 

Dr.  Latimer  came  into  the  cottage  one  morning 
with  an  envelope  in  his  hand. 

"  Good  news  from  Mr.  Bruch,"  he  announced ; 
"  his  children  are  better." 

"Oh  Helen,  Helen,"  called  Yernon.  "Mr. 
Bruch' s  children  are  getting  well." 

The  girl  came  running  downstairs,  and  Dr.  Lati 
mer  showed  her  the  brief  message  which  meant  so 
much. 

"  Won't  he  bring  his  children  with  him  when  he 
comes  back  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  doubt  if  he  returns  to  this  country,"  was  the 
calm  reply.  "  In  our  last  talk  together  before  I 
bade  him  good-by  he  seemed  to  think  it  likely  he 
would  remain  in  Germany." 

All  the  joy  that  the  cablegram  had  brought 
faded  from  Helen's  face.  A  blank  desolation 
chilled  her. 

She  did  not  drop  her  lids  so  quickly  that  Dr. 
Latimer  failed  to  read  her  frank  face,  and  the  next 
time  he  was  alone  with  Josephine  he  told  her  his 
surprising  impressions. 


THE  IV  IS  ON  CONQUEST.  381 

"  I  remember  something  vaguely,"  returned 
Josephine,  "  something  she  said  to  me  about  Mr. 
Bruch  during  my  dream  of  misery,  but  it  was 
swamped  in  my  own  overpowering  trouble.  Oh, 
Helen  must  not  be  unhappy." 

Josephine  made  an  early  opportunity  to  catechize 
her  sister  so  insistently  and  lovingly  that  Helen 
owned  to  her  the  unspoken  eloquence  of  the  Ger 
man  during  their  last  interview,  and  weepingly  de 
plored  that  she  had  let  him  go  without  a  word  of 
regret  at  his  loss. 

"  But  what  could  I  do,  Josephine  ?  "  she  added 
piteously.  "  Just  then  it  was  to  me  as  though  we 
were  talking  across  a  little  grave." 

"  You  say  he  promised  to  write  to  you,"  returned 
the  eldest  soothingly.  "  Then  don  t  worry.  It 
will  turn  out  all  right." 

"  But  how  can  it  ?  "  asked  Helen.  "  I  am  afraid 
he  thinks  he  could  n't  support  the  children  here, 
and  he  does  n't  mean  to  come  back,  I  know  from 
what  Dr.  Latimer  says." 

So  Josephine  once  more  appealed  to  Dr.  Lati 
mer,  and  observing  the  grave  thoughtf  ulness  in  his 
face  she  began  to  entertain  sanguine  hopes  at  once. 
These  were  soon  justified,  owing  to  the  promptness 
and  energy  with  which  Dr.  Latimer  set  his  wits 
and  influence  at  work,  and  by  the  time  the  summer 
party  had  said  farewell  to  the  island  and  returned 
to  Boston  there  were  hopeful  indications  that  a 
library  situation  suited  to  Mr.  Bruch' s  tastes  and 
abilities  would  ere  the  following  winter  be  open  to 
his  acceptance. 


382  DE.  LATIMEE. 

Dr.  Latimer,  as  soon  as  this  prospect  was  toler 
ably  certain,  stated  the  fact  in  a  letter  to  his  Ger 
man  friend,  and  by  return  mail  Helen  received  an 
important  missive  from  her  absent  lover.  It  said 
that  the  kindness  and  friendliness  with  which  she 
had  favored  him  in  her  letters  emboldened  him  to 
tell  her  what  he  had  longed  to  declare  at  the  is 
land.  If  she  would  deign  to  make  him  the  hap 
piest  of  living  men  he  would  return  to  America. 
Otherwise  he  would  remain  many  thousands  of 
miles  away  from  her  too-sweet  face. 

Upon  reading  this  the  "too-sweet  face"  grew 
very  flushed  and  happy,  and  seating  herself  at  her 
desk  Helen  penned  a  brief  but  pregnant  epistle 
and  herself  carried  it  to  the  letter-box  and  dropped 
it  in. 

Mr.  Bruch  had  told  her  of  the  doctor's  great 
kindness,  and  Helen,  in  the  midst  of  the  thousand 
and  one  things  devolving  upon  her  in  these  busy 
days,  went  on  from  the  mail-box  to  Dr.  Latimer's 
house  to  tell  him  with  blushing  candor  what  she 
had  done  and  how  fervently  she  thanked  him. 

Dr.  Latimer  kissed  her  for  the  first  time  in 
their  acquaintance.  "  I  congratulate  you,  my  dear 
Helen,"  he  said,  "  and  I  wish  affairs  had  moved  in 
a  way  to  bring  Mr.  Bruch  to  the  wedding." 

For  there  was  to  be  a  wedding  soon,  and  not  the 
quiet  little  affair  the  doctor  and  Josephine  would 
have  preferred.  Dr.  Latimer  allowed  the  Misses 
Norman  to  persuade  him  that  the  fact  of  Jose 
phine's  strangeness  to  Boston  society  made  it  im- 


THE  IVISON  CONQUEST.  383 

portant  that  her  future  husband's  friends  should 
meet  her,  and  it  had  at  last  been  settled  that  the 
ceremony  should  take  place  at  the  Normans'  house, 
while  the  list  of  those  invited  to  the  reception 
passed  under  the  eyes  of  those  ladies  before  it  was 
considered  complete. 

Josephine,  who  would  have  been  married  in  a 
gray  gown  at  daybreak  by  the  nearest  minister, 
had  Dr.  Latimer  suggested  such  a  course,  fell  in 
with  the  present  plan  with  equal  docility.  Her 
sisters  were  her  bridesmaids,  and  a  college  friend 
of  Olin's  stood  up  with  Helen. 

The  beauty  of  the  girls,  and  especially  the 
stately  brilliance  of  the  bride,  was  the  subject  of 
much  comment  when  finally  the  happy  evening 
came. 

Charlotte  Norman  was  as  content  on  the  occa 
sion  as  Agnes,  and  once  as  she  looked  at  Jose 
phine,  pure  and  bright  in  her  white  robes,  a  sudden 
memory  came  to  her  of  the  first  morning  she  saw 
her,  watching  stealthily  through  the  slats  of  the 
side  window,  and  she  put  the  remembrance  aside 
with  vigorous  impatience.  It  had  no  place  among 
current  events. 

There  were  the  three  Ivison  girls  now,  meeting 
the  throng  of  Boston's  elect  which  flowed  slowly 
past  them,  and  here  was  Charlotte  Norman  com 
placently  viewing  the  trio  and  aware  that  they 
were  a  credit  to  her. 

Vernon  looked  bewitching.  In  the  bodice  of 
her  filmy  bridesmaid  dress  appeared,  half-hidden, 


384  DR.  LATIMEE. 

an  odd  little  pin,  the  head  of  which  was  the  trans, 
lucent  green  stone  telling  of  murmuring  waves  011 
Pebbly  Beach. 

Miss  Charlotte  had  remarked  it  with  faint  pro 
test,  but  Vernon  insisted  that  thus  the  island 
should  come  to  the  wedding,  and  Miss  Norman 
yielded.  Not  Olin  himself  was  more  single-hearted 
than  this  stiff-necked  aunt  had  become. 

The  reception  was  so  nearly  finished  that  a  oable 
message  which  had  arrived  for  Dr.  Latimer  was 
put  into  his  hands  by  Persis,  who,  in  the  softest 
and  richest  of  black  silk  gowns,  had  beamed  all 
the  evening  from  inconspicuous  corners. 

"  Mr.  Bruch,"  said  the  doctor,  as  he  tore  open 
the  envelope  and  glanced  at  the  contents.  He 
smiled  at  Helen,  whose  very  ears  grew  pink  as  she 
read  the  message.  Then  she  returned  it  to  the 
hand  he  extended. 

"  Mr.  Bruch  has  received  Helen's  letter,"  said 
the  doctor  to  Josephine.  "  A  Yankee  would  have 
cabled:  'Coming.'" 

The  bride  looked  at  the  paper  with  eager  inter 
est,  then  lifted  her  dark  eyes  to  her  husband's,  full 
of  appreciation  of  the  poetry  and  fervor  embodied 
in  the  words  she  had  read :  — 

"  I  come." 


